Seniority
by CCougar42709
Summary: Sequel to "Stuck"!
1. Discovery

The end of summer and the start of the last year of high school had one theme. WRONG!

Allow me to explain. Tori was encouraged by Lane to start focusing more on her acting, since she hadn't hit it big yet with her singing career. She promptly busted out a new song called "All I Want is Everything" and is waiting to drop it on Lane's birthday, which is in a few weeks. Needless to say she completely blew off what Lane said.

Beck, Jade and Cat weren't given roles in a movie, Lane commented and Bang! Top 3 roles in the first school play.

Andre was DJ at a party, and some big 'star' said he shouldn't quit his day job. Then he created a remix of his "best moments" and it has over a million hits on Splashface along with repeated apologies from the guy, asking to take it down. The answer has been for now, NO.

Last, but not least. Remember at the laser tag place where I broke my leg? Misdiagnosis! It was only a bone bruise, and I'm up on my feet again! YAY!

School has been back in session for about a month, and just in time. Cat and I never resumed our Wednesday night movie after the drive in incident. She says it's because there isn't anything worth watching, I say she is protecting herself. Her excuse is less than perfect, since Harry Potter and Transformers have come out since we last went together.

What I really want to know is what on earth is Cat protecting herself from? She hasn't spent a lot of time with me, choosing to hang out with Jade instead. If she felt threatened then why not break up with me? It's like building a wall, but leaving a space and putting up a sign that says 'come in here, I'm sleeping, take all my stuff'.

Sikowitz was happy to see everyone in one piece. He discovered a new kind of coconut, and it apparently is delicious. We have been mostly doing our own thing, specializing our crafts, that kind of thing. It's been fun, but I like group work, it's more entertaining.

I felt someone shake me.

"Robbie. The bell rang, come on." Jade said sharply.

"Oh, right. Sorry." I said, gathering my stuff and going outside to the Asphalt café. I bought a sandwich and joined the others, minus Cat.

"Where's Cat?" I wondered aloud after a few minutes.

"Aww, the boyfriend is lonely…" Jade crooned, smiling. I busied myself with my sandwich.

I'm not lonely, just wondering where she is.

"You know, she's never referred to me as her boyfriend, she's never ever said we're a couple." I told her. She looked at me like I was nuts.

"Really?" Tori said.

"Uh huh." I replied.

"Have you talked to her about it?" Beck asked.

"No, I just thought she was uncomfortable saying that we're actually dating."

"So you are dating?" Andre jumped in, cutting Jade off.

"Well, what else would you call it?" I asked him.

"How about something more than best friends?" Jade quipped.

_That's my line!_

"Ha ha, very funny." I rolled my eyes.

"How's the movie night coming?" Beck asked nonchalantly. I glared at Tori and Jade.

"Nice to know nobody can keep there mouth shut. And I haven't gone in a month." I said, again busying myself with my sandwich.

Andre glanced over at Jade, Beck, and Tori, who all went red. "Why haven't you gone?" he asked me.

"Because I accidently stumbled upon something that I think freaked her out."

"What is it?" Jade wondered, leaning forward while eating her burrito.

"The whole Michael problem began at a drive in Movie Theater."

The others choked slightly on their food or drink. It took a moment for them to recover.

"How'd you find that out?" Tori asked.

"Well, there wasn't anything good at the Theater, so I volunteered to go to the drive in, she got really quiet and the way she did it, it was clear Michael was the culprit."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I said we didn't have to go. She wanted to, so we went. I bought tickets for E.T and when I went to sit by her she moved me away. She avoided contact with me for the rest of the night."

"E.T's her favorite movie though." Jade stated, confused.

"Which is why I chose that one. Ever since she's been keeping her distance."

"It's like the blood thing never happened." Tori said to the others.

"What blood thing?" I asked. I had never heard of this.

"When you went to the E.R her mom said you needed blood. Cat insisted that she donate blood, telling off the rest of us." Tori said, smiling.

"It was so sweet." Jade mused.

"Explains the bandage on her arm."

"Riiiiing!"

The rest of the day went fine, except for English. Everyone was complaining about Mrs. Clarke, who turned out to be my teacher too. She nearly flipped when I walked in, but I was in for a surprise. This isn't going to be easy.

After that, I went home to work on my brand new research paper she had assigned. I might have met her last year, but that doesn't mean I can't hate her as a teacher.

_Hey, I've got a surprise for you…can I come over?-Cat_

I responded "Sure, hints?"

_Nope, as you say, be patient :P-Cat_

I hate her wit. It's cute, but I hate it when she uses it against me.

"Knock, Knock"

I walk over and open the door, revealing Cat smiling happily with a bag in her hand.

"Look what I got!" She said, pulling out a license plate with a cupcake with red icing on it.

"Nice, where'd you get it?" I asked, thinking to myself that it doesn't compare to mine with the Decepticon logo on it.

"Cupcakes Unlimited." She happily said. She was bouncing around, happier than she's been in weeks.

"There's a Cupcakes Unlimited?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah! It's in the mall." She smiled. I took a moment to soak in her appearance. White shirt, shorts, hair matching her red shoes….

_Hold up…_

"Cat! Your hair!" I said, pulling her into a tight hug. My red haired angel was back. Thank goodness.

She giggled and hugged me back. "EEP! I thought you weren't going to notice!" She said, then giggled softly again. I ran my hands thru her hair.

"When did you get it done?"

"After class today. I left and had some professional do it like I always do when I get it redone." She said, gazing up at me.

"Was it expensive?"

"Yeah…but it's worth it." She smiled, her dimple showing like it always does when she's really happy.

"I agree." I said, finding myself unable to stop running my fingers thru her hair.

"Oh, sorry." I said, realizing I had been doing that for awhile now.

"You're fine, I'm glad you like it." She said, stretching out on my bed. Her stomach was partially exposed to I seized the moment of weakness to tickle her tummy, which is a very ticklish area for her.

The reaction was immediate, she giggled loudly while trying to stop me, continued to laugh as I kept going, getting louder and louder. Suddenly she grabbed my head in between her legs.

"RRRIIIIP!"

I abruptly stopped, wondering what on earth could have ripped. I wiggled out from between her thighs and immediately saw the problem.

"My shorts…" Cat mumbled.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." I said, knowing she loved that pair of shorts.

"It's ok." She said, taking the ruined shorts off, exposing some black underwear.

"Uhh…Cat?" I managed to get out while trying not to make things awkward and resisting the urge to look.

"What? Oh…Robbie. Loosen up." She said, getting up on her tiptoes to reach the shorts in my closet.

"Sweetheart…it's just—"

She plopped right down on me, putting the shorts to one side. I felt her underneath me and I tried to move.

"Sweetheart—"

"Nobody's going to walk in…we've been thru this. What if I wanted to do that? I go to the gym for a reason you know." She said lustily, positioning herself right on top of me, her hair obstructing some of her face.

"Not now sunshine…later…" I moaned, trying to keep calm.

"Why?" 

"I want to talk to you about something, and not have my hormones doing my thinking for me." I said. She got off of me, and sat, waiting to hear me out.

"Now, I don't want you to take this question the wrong way ok?" I started. Cat nodded.

"Are we going out? I think we are, but when you introduce me to someone you say just Robbie, not your boyfriend."

She bit her lip, looking worried. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought about it driving home sweetie. I just want to know."

"Well, um. I was working off of the compromise." She mumbled, looking down.

"Hey, I'm—Cat…c'mon…sweetheart." I said, as she sniffled softly.

"Please don't cry. I just wanted to know where we stand so I don't mess up." I said, looking at her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks softly.

"Cat…please don't cry. C'mon…" I said, feeling terrible I had made her cry.

It was like she didn't even hear me. Tears just kept coming, falling onto my sheets. I gently pulled her into my arms.

"Sunshine…please…you know I love you. It doesn't matter what we are. All that matters is that we love each other." I whispered into her ear. She apparently believed me because she hugged me softly, but she still was crying.

"Can I stay here tonight?" She sobbed.

"Let me call your dad sweetie." I said, grabbing my phone but not letting go of her.

It rang for a moment, and then the earpiece was full of Mr. Valentine's voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi sir, it's Robbie."

"Robbie! How are you son? Did you see Cat's hair?"

"I did, it's beautiful."

"Good, you got your red haired angel back." I could practically see him smile on the other end.

"That I did. Anyway, I called because I think Cat wants to stay with me."

"Tonight? Wait, is that her in the background?" He asked, as Cat sobbed softly.

"Yes sir, she's clinging to me right now." I admitted.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, I just think she needs to stay with me tonight."

"Sure, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

I hung up.

"Thank you Robbie." Cat said softly.

"No problem sunshine." I said.


	2. Reclamation

"Give it up, you can't win, 'Cause I know where you been, such a shame you don't put up a fight, that's a game that we play at the end of the night, it's the same old story but you never get it right, give it up, come a little closer, baby, baby, come a little closer, come a little closer, baby, baby…"

I fumbled around for my phone, finally finding it and shutting off my alarm, which was set for 5:30 like Cat requested.

I felt Cat snuggle against me, laying her head across my chest and mumbling "5 more minutes mommy…"

I smiled, "Sure sweetheart." I turned my alarm on, adding "5 more minutes" onto what I was going to originally give her, meaning the alarm would go off again at 5:40.

I intended on going back to sleep, but I couldn't. I just turned over and watched Cat sleep. I relented on her request for me to 'loosen up' and let her sleep in her bra and shorts. She didn't want the shorts, saying I've seen her in a bikini and her underwear isn't much different, but I told her I wasn't quite comfortable with going that far yet. She eventually agreed, but vowed "next time…"

I don't know if everyone is this cute while they're sleeping, but seeing Cat smile while she's sleeping has to be the second cutest thing I've ever seen. What's the cutest you ask? Caterina Valentine herself of course.

I see that my alarm is just about to go off, but I preempt it and shut it off. I want to wake her up myself.

"Morning sunshine." I said, shaking her gently. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"Hi…you're the best alarm ever." She smiled.

"Thanks…you want the shower first?" I asked.

"Uh huh." She said, then kissing me cheek and getting out of bed, moving over to the closet to choose her outfit.

"Hmm…"

I yawned. "Something wrong?" I asked her, who was just looking at her clothes, arms to her sides.

"I have no idea what to wear." She turned to me. "Help me?" She asked, eyes wide.

I smiled and made my way over to her, wrapping my hands around her waist when I reached her.

"What are you in the mood for sweetie?" I asked.

"I don't know, that's the problem." She stated, leaning into me.

I looked over the options, which were seemingly endless. A shirt that was a dark purple but had a bit of black at the bottom caught my eye.

_I think this would look nice with some dark jeans…_ I thought, grabbing said shirt and dark jeans.

"What do you think?" I asked Cat.

"Perfect." She simply said, proceeding to the bathroom.

I was planning on making a small breakfast, but as soon as I stepped into the kitchen I decided against it. Too much effort for not even 6 in the morning.

Usually I need one glass of OJ to wake me up, this time it required 3, plus the assistance of hitting my hip on the marble island. Ouch.

A few minutes later I was starting to walk normally again when Cat reemerged, drying her hair.

"Do you have a hairdryer?" She asked.

"Just a sec…" I said, dashing off to Kimberly's room, grabbing a hairdryer and dashing back to Cat who hadn't moved an inch.

I then went to shower myself. However, _someone_ hung her bra on the doorknob along with her other clothes on the floor. I picked up the other stuff, but took the bra into the kitchen.

"Forget something?" I asked sarcastically. She snatched it off my finger, then feeling her shoulder.

"Dang it!" She exclaimed as I closed my door and emerged 20 minutes later, clean and fully awake. Cat was munching on yogurt and looking at the slap.

"Tori was at Beck's again." She stated as I walked by.

"How do you know?"

"She posted a status saying "Beck Oliver is the best guy ever" at 2 in the morning.

That doesn't sound like Tori. I laughed aloud. "Subtle."

"I know right!" Cat said excitedly, finishing her yogurt and throwing it away. While I made toast Cat disappeared and came back once I had finished my dishes with her makeup done. We hopped in the car and barely made it to school on time.

"See you Third!" I called out to her retreating figure.

"KK!" She replied, waving.

Before I knew it, BOOM! I was chatting happily with Jade waiting for the others to get here.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Tori asked, smiling at Beck, who was standing next to her.

"Good." Jade said, not sounding like everything was 'good'.

Beck frowned.

"How's it shaking peeps?" Andre smoothly said, smiling as he pulled up a chair.

"Not too badly, how a—"

"Hi!" Cat said happily behind me.

It took everyone a moment to take in her hair, and then it was just an explosion of noise.

"Cat!" Tori exclaimed, getting up quickly.

"Your hairrr!" Jade gushed, getting up.

"Yes!" Andre smiled.

"She's back!" Beck quipped.

Imagine that, but all at the same time. Cat simply smiled and hugged everyone except me.

"Why are you so calm?" Tori asked me, sounding surprised.

"I saw it yesterday." I said as Sikowitz walked in.

"Ok everyone, today—Cat! Your hair!" He yelled, moving towards her.

"Yeah…" Cat smiled shyly, obviously not expecting such a reaction.

"It's as tasty as ever." He said, biting it softly. "Just like a cupcake." He said, causing Cat to giggle and smile shyly again.

"Ok, as I was saying. It's time to put all that time wasted in the summer to good use!" He said excitedly. Beck and I exchanged glances.

_What's he doing this time?_

"ABC Improv! Beck, Cat, Tori, Jade, Andre, Robbie, Sinjin, get up here!" He said, relinquishing the stage to us.

"M, GO!" He said emphatically.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea…" Tori drifted off.

"Next time throw something else." Jade smiled.

"Octopi maybe?" I wondered aloud, causing Andre to crack up and Sikowitz to smile.

"Possibly." Andre choked out.

"Quite possible." Sinjin added. We all glared at him.

"Really?" Beck said, holding his hands out, looking disgusted at the lack of creativity.

"Some things never change." Jade said darkly.

"Taylor Swift songs are nice." Cat said.

"Unless it's Back to December." I spoke up, causing Cat to smirk.

"Who knows who Taylor Swift is?" Sinjin asked.

"EVERYONE!" Cat yelled loudly.

"Except you!" I said quickly, hoping Sikowitz didn't catch on.

"Nah, nah, nah." He said, waving his hands. "Cat, Sinjin, sit."

"Timeout!" Beck said loudly, making a timeout signal.

"Granted." Sikowitz replied.

"Robbie said X before you caught Cat. She should stay." Jade stepped towards them.

"What about me?" Sinjin asked in a high pitched voice behind her. I elbowed him out of the way as Tori said "Shh!" Cat winced. She hates shushes. No idea why, she said she hates the noise.

"Ok…Sinjin, nobody will stand up for you, goodbye."

"But—" He started.

"Nope, bye!" Jade said roughly, pushing him off the stage. Cat came and stood in front of me and I wrapped my arms around her along with kissing her hair.

"Y!" Sikowitz said as Sinjin groaned on the floor.

"Yes, everyone knows T Swizzle." Andre smiled.

"Zero the hero baby." Beck said.

The room was silent.

"Anderson, back me up man!" he continued, looking to me.

"BOOMBA!" I yelled, causing everyone in the audience to jump in fright.

"Cool game bro." Tori quipped. Beck and I shot death glances at her before rolling our eyes.

"Danny used to play that game." Jade stated.

"Explain who this "Danny" is." Cat demanded. Jade seemed surprised at the viciousness in her voice.

"Feelings like that won't help" Andre said.,

"Guys, chill out." Beck said, arms extended out with is palms down.

"Hey, you never asked." Jade told Cat.

"I shouldn't have to, nobody should keep secrets." Cat said, actually sounding mad.

"Jade? What's going on?" I asked her.

"C'mon, chill out people…" Sikowitz again missed the fact it sounds like a K, but is actually a C.

"Lying doesn't help things!" Cat yelled.

"Man, we all need to just calm down…" Andre said, stepping in between the girls.

"Nice try." Tori said as Cat shoved Andre out of her way. "Not gonna work."

"Of course not." Andre said distractedly, like he was shocked Cat moved him so easily.

"Please calm down Cat?" Beck said exasperatedly.

"Real talk Little Red." Andre added.

"She isn't going to back off." I prophesized.

"Tell her to stop staring at me!" Jade ordered. Cat was indeed staring at her.

"Uncle…" Tori mused. Cat whipped around.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"Excalibur." I sighed, head in my hands.

"Yellowstone isn't too far from here." Beck piped up, looking happy.

"Zebras?" Cat asked innocently.

"Aww COME ON!" Jade yelled, looking at Beck and I.

"Babe, calm down." Beck said distractedly.

"Can't call her babe…" Tori snapped, as Beck looked like he just got his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"Decision time Jade. Talk." Cat said intimidatingly.

"Explain why she has to?" I asked aloud. Cat gave me her "Shut up Robbie." look.

"Friends don't keep secrets." Cat answered abruptly.

"Girl, breathe. It's ok." Andre said, hugging her shoulders.

"Hey, it's ok…he's a friend of mine." Jade added.

"I thought…"

"Just Shh…" Beck whispered, hugging her. I saw Cat flinch again from the shushing sound.

A voice came on the PA system. "The bells aren't working right now, please dismiss for lunch. Thank You."

"We'll resume this tomorrow!" Sikowitz called out as the bells suddenly rang at an earsplitting volume.

"AAAAHHHH!" Jade yelled, hopping into Beck's arms.

"Jade?" Beck asked after a moment. Tori looked ready to kill her with a spork.

Cat diffused the moment by hugging me softly and smiling as Jade got off Beck and brushed herself off, then rejoined everyone for lunch.

Once the bell rung for dismissal I checked my phone while waiting for Cat and to leave the parking lot.

_You kids are luckyyy. Cat needs to stay over again tonight, I have to work late. I'm sorry for burdening you on such short notice ;) –Mr. Valentine._

Cat hopped in and kissed my cheek. "Why are you smiling so much?" She asked. I handed her the phone.

"NO WAY! ROBBIE!" She said, jumping in her seat and causing the car to shake.

"Easy now you kids!" Beck called out through my open window. I waved him off and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Wanna go to the movies?" Cat asked me as I pulled into my driveway.

"Sure, will 7:30 work?" I responded.

"Yeah, dinner now, movie then we can go home." Cat said, trailing off.

We were kind of lethargic until movie time. I just messed around on my laptop and watched a movie that came on TV as Cat lounged next to me, using me as her pillow most of the time.

"Ready?" I asked, pulling on a jacket since a freak cold front blew in a few hours ago. She nodded, hugging me tightly as we moved to my car. She shivered as we got inside my car.

I took off my jacket and offered it to her. She looked surprised.

"Don't you need it?" She asked.

"I'll be fine, you're really cold." I said, still extending the jacket out to her. She took it and slipped into it. It was comical how big it looked on her, and I had to hold back a laugh.

"You're warm." She simply said. This time I did laugh.

"Thanks."

As I drove over I thought about how I get so wrapped up in the moment that I never appreciate it. I try hard the entire night to remember that. We ended up seeing Harry Potter, and she was entranced in the movie. She loves all the books and movies and couldn't wait.

Afterward we go home and when I pulled in I noticed she's asleep out of exhaustion. I gently carried her to my room, laid her on my bed, where she sleepily mumbled something like "Thank You." and cuddled a pillow. I smiled and covered her up.

I wouldn't trade this for the world.


	3. Learning and Lizzie

Tori POV

What a pretty day. I'm going to see Beck later today. But right now, Jade and I are paying Robbie a visit. He's probably lonely since his parents are on the other side of the world. He mentioned in passing that he hasn't talked his parents in a while. It makes sense, since it's the next day over in Spain along with the fact that when it's night here, it's day there, and vice versa.

"I'll be right in." Jade said, messing with her phone.

I unlocked the door and walked in carrying some donuts we bought. Robbie gave everyone keys in case they needed or wanted to come over.

The house is spotless, the only evidence people were here recently is the TV remote turned upside down.

Robbie's door is shut tight.

_What's the harm in sneaking a peek at Robbie sleeping? Jade said his face is adorable, and I just have to see._

I crack open the door to see the adorable sight of Robbie sleeping, mouth slightly open. I peer a little bit more and…

"AAAAAHHH!"

Robbie POV

"AAAAAHHH!"

Cat and I both woke up with a jolt. Cat yanked the covers right off to cover herself, since she had followed thru on the promise from a few nights ago.

Now who on earth would be in the house and yell in fright at my bedroom door? It's Saturday!

I left the room while Cat was feverishly dressing. I walked to the door and wrenched it open to find Tori occupying herself by fiddling with something in the kitchen cabinets.

"Tori?" I asked, not surprised she was she, more demanding WHY she was here.

"Hi!" She said perkily.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to give you guys breakfast!" She said, sounding very chipper. Suddenly, the door opened.

"Really now?" I asked as Jade emerged from behind the door.

"Hi Robbie. Where's your shirt?" Jade asked, sounding surprised.

"In my room. Why do you ask?" I retorted.

"Why so hostile?" She asked me.

"Why are you here? You woke me up, apparently just for breakfast! It's 9 on a Saturday Jade…"

My bedroom door opened to Cat, now fully clothed in PINK sweatpants and a black shirt of mine. Jade looked mildly surprised she was over. She and Tori gave Cat what looked like the visual once over then deemed her to be fine.

"Hi Cat!" Tori said energetically.

"Hi. What's going on?" She said sleepily.

"Breakfast!" She said happily.

"I'm going to take a shower." I said, walking off.

Cat POV

"You just brought breakfast?" I asked, wishing they would come later just so Robbie and I could be together longer.

"Yep, you hungry?" Jade told me.

"Kinda, why are you here?" I asked.

"Just thinking Robbie was lonely so we came as company and brought breakfast." Said Tori.

"Apparently he's not lonely after all." Jade added.

"Yeah, we slept fine." I said. Tori and Jade's eyes widened.

_Phoo! They didn't know we slept together!_

"So that's why you're wearing Robbie's shirt." Jade said curiously.

"Does it matter?" I retorted.

"That shirt's Robbie's?" Tori said, slow to catch Jade's drift.

"You didn't—Cat!" She yelled.

"What?"

"How often are you sleeping with him? Something's going to happen!" Jade asked, sounding like she'd been holding this back for awhile.

"None of your business. What Robbie and I do is our business." I said, turning away from him.

"Girl, it's going to become our business if he knocks you up." Jade snapped. I turned back around to see Tori looking at me frowning while Jade looked really mad, or disappointed.

"Robbie's the best person I've ever met, that's not going to happen! And even if it did, he'd do the right thing!" I bit at her, annoyed they ever doubted Robbie.

"What do you mean by that?" Tori asked, sounding confused and curious at the same time.

"He'd help me. That's what I mean." I told her.

"So you are having sex?" Jade questioned.

"NO! We aren't, the opportunity has arisen a few times but we haven't done that!" I told her emphatically.

Everyone was silent for a minute.

"Are you saying you think I'm going to break up with Robbie again?" I questioned Jade. She paled.

"Uh…no. I'm just worried—"

"You do think we aren't going to make it! Jade!" I yelled.

"Well, look at it! Everything that you've done to him, hurt him so badly—"

My blood pressure is rising, and if I was ever going to hit her, now would be time.

"Ding Dong." Rang the doorbell, cutting off Jade mid sentence. They both looked awkward at opening the door.

"I got it." I said roughly, brushing past Jade as I opened the door.

A man and his young daughter were at the door.

"Hi!" I said, my anger at Jade dissipating.

"Hi! Are you Cat?" the man asked.

"Yes…" I answered.

"Ok, I'm Travis, Robbie's uncle. This here is Lizzie, my daughter." He said, gesturing to the little girl standing and clutching her dad's hand, looking scared. She did wave hello to me.

I waved back and smiled. "Oh! She's adorable!"

He smiled happily. "Is Robbie home?"

"Yeah, he's in his room."

Lizzie let go of her father's hand. "You can go get him now sweetie." Travis said, pushing her towards me, Jade and Tori.

"Wobbie…" She said, walking towards his door. Tori covered her mouth as she went "Aww…" and Jade smiled happily.

Robbie POV

That's weird, who would be calling right now, let alone ringing the doorbell. I get out of the bathroom and start tidying up my room when something grabbed my leg.

"What the—"

(A/N: Ok, Lizzie's about a year and a half old, but for this story she can talk ok. She can't say her r's though, instead saying w's. If this annoys anyone, I can stop after this chapter)

"Wobbie…" I heard. I look down to find Lizzie holding onto my leg and looking up at me adorably.

"LIZZIE!" I yelled, scooping her into my arms and giving her a big hug. "I missed you so much cupcake, how are you?" I asked her.

"I'm ok Wobbie. Who awe those people at the doow?" She asked, hugging me.

I looked at her cute face. "Those are my friends' sweetie. Have you met them?"

"Only one, she had wed haiw." Lizzie said, as I put her down and she started back towards the living room.

"Hey Travis, how are you?" I called out. Travis was talking to Jade, who was smiling.

"I'm good man, you doing ok?" He said, shaking my hand.

"Better now." I smiled at Lizzie, who had acquired a flower from somewhere. She held it out to me, while motioning that she wanted to whisper something to me.

"Give it to the wed haiwed giwl." She whispered. I took the flower and gave it to Cat, who blushed and smiled at me.

I heard Tori and Jade both go "Aww…"

Travis smiled. "Always the romantic huh sweetie?"

"Yep daddy!" Lizzie replied, moving to another room.

"So what's up?" I asked Travis.

"Well, Leyla and I need to see some friends and I was hoping you could keep an eye on her for awhile today."

"Sure, no problem." I responded as Tori went to check Lizzie was doing ok.

"You sure, I don't want to change you're plans or anything." He said.

"No, we didn't have any plans." I said as Cat and Jade nodded. Jade was also feverishly typing on her phone.

"Ok, sounds good." He said, handing me a familiar bag of toys Lizzie loves to play with.

"When are you swinging back by to pick her up?"

"I don't know. I'll call."

"Ok, or I could always take her back to your place."

"You have a car seat?"

"Mom bought me one when I got my license. It's in the garage."

"Ok, we might do that instead, make dinner easier."

"Sounds good. See you Travis!" I called out. He waved and closed the door.

"She is so cute!" Jade said, as I heard Tori laugh in the other room. The three of us walked to the entertainment room, where Lizzie was hugging Tori.

After a moment I decided to introduce everyone. "Lizzie?"

"Yeaw?" She turned to face me.

"I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Jade." I motioned to Jade, who waved.

"Hi Jade." She said. Lizzie came over and hugged her. Jade looked very happy, happier than I've seen her in a while.

"This is Tori." I motioned to Tori, who smiled widely and waved. Lizzie came and hugged her too.

"Hi Towi." Tori looked ready to explode from happiness.

"And this is Cat." I said, smiling at Cat.

"Like a kitty cat?" Lizzie asked. Cat giggled as Tori and Jade smiled.

"No cupcake, her name is Cat."

"Oh! Ok!" She hugged Cat too. "Hi Cat!"

Cat giggled again and hugged her. All of them seemed comfortable around her. Suddenly Lizzie ran off randomly.

"You guys don't have to hang around; I can take care of her." I told the girls, who looked at me like I was crazy.

"No, I'm staying she's so cute." Tori insisted.

"Very Cute." Jade added, smiling again.

Cat simply looked at me. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

I laughed. "Ok, but if you guys get tired, feel free to—"

Lizzie came back into the room, dragging her toy bag. Jade popped up and took it from her. I went to the kitchen to get some apple juice, which she LOVES. It's like an addiction, and I'm a willing dealer.

Suddenly the front door burst open. "Where is she?" Beck asked, heading for my room. Andre was hot on his heels.

"We heard about Lizzie." He explained.

"How?" I asked, Sippy cup in one hand with apple juice in the other. Thank goodness he didn't have a camera.

"Jade texted us. We were at the mall and heard she was here, so here we are."

"Seriously, where is she?" Beck asked, coming up to the counter and putting his hands on it.

"TV room." I answered. Both guys quickly went to the room.

"Hey guys!" Jade said as I started towards the entertainment room.

"Hey." Beck answered as Andre waved to Jade. "Whatcha doin?" (A/N: In Wok Star, when Beck asks Jade the same thing. Insert that exact same thing in here.)

"Playing with Lizzie." Tori smiled.

"Who's that?" Lizzie asked, holding a horse in her hand and pointing at Andre.

"This is a few more of my friends."

"You have a lot of fwiends Wobbie." Lizzie said. Everyone smiled.

"Thanks sweetheart. This is Andre." I said. Andre smiled and waved at Lizzie. Lizzie in turn did her customary hug.

"And this is Beck." I said.

"Hi Lizzie." Beck smiled as Lizzie ran up for a hug. Beck scooped her up and hugged her, much to my surprise.

I looked over to Tori and Jade who mouthed "He loves little kids"

_That makes sense._

"Can I have some juice Wobbie?" Lizzie asked as Beck put her down.

"Sure, close your eyes cupcake." She did as I asked. I quietly put the cup behind her on the coffee table.

"Open your eyes and turn around sunshine." I said. I saw everyone's eyebrows arch up in surprise except Cat, who was behind me.

_Crap, I called her sunshine. Cat isn't going to like that…_

"Yay! It's magic!" Lizzie yelled, grabbing the cup. Everyone laughed.

Lizzie spent the next 30-45 minutes messing around with her toys as she talked to everyone, finding out how they know me. From how she was talking, it was like I was everything to her.

Suddenly she looked at Cat. "How do you know Wobbie?"

"I'm his girlfriend." Cat answered. Jade spewed out her coffee and everyone else turned to look at her.

"Giwlfwiend? What's that?" Lizzie asked as I grabbed some towels and helped clean the mess as Jade apologized for making the mess.

"You're fine. I'm surprised too." I quietly said, making sure Cat couldn't hear me.

"Umm…" Cat said, looking for the right way to explain it. Everyone else seemed at a loss to explain it as well, including me.

"She cares a lot about me sweetie." I told her.

She seemed to accept that. "Have you kissed him?" this time is was Tori's turn to spew her water. "I got it." She said quickly. Lizzie looked at her and Jade.

"What's wwong?" She innocently asked.

"Nothing sweetie." Jade said quickly.

"A couple of times, yeah." Cat said, refusing to look up.

Beck and Andre looked like they were getting a kick out of the whole scene, practically having to hold each other up they were laughing silently so hard.

"Ok. He's mine though." Lizzie stated as she put the last of her horses away. That's a great thing about her. Travis and Leyla taught her to pick up after herself before she was one. Now it's second nature for her to pick up her toys.

Everyone looked surprised at Lizzie's declaration. Cat glanced at me, looking shocked.

"What do you want to now sweetie?" Beck asked.

"Hide and go seek!" Lizzie answered.

"I don't think—" I started.

"Ok! I'll go first." Andre volunteered as everyone scattered. Lizzie grabbed my hand and pulled me away from Andre.

_I have the best friends in the world. I seriously doubt they are acting either. They seem to actually be having fun._

"Count to….Wobbie, what's a good number?" Lizzie asked, looking up at me.

"50." I told her. She smiled and immediately called out "50!"

"Ok! Here I go!" Andre called out. I briefly saw Beck dash by smiling, then disappeared. Lizzie took me to the pantry and closed the door. I pulled out my phone.

"Ooh, the light!" She said.

"Shhh, you don't want him to catch us do you?' I whispered, sitting in a spot I think would be hard for Andre to spot us.

Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how well you hide when SOMEONE keeps giggling uncontrollably. Andre did open the door a few times, not seeing us until Lizzie giggled and we were busted.

"You guys picked a nice spot. I bet you picked it out, didn't you sweetie?" Andre said to Lizzie.

"Uh huh!" She nodded, going into the kitchen. Andre eventually found the others as Lizzie ate a donut. The others joined in. I had two, but I sweat Tori and Jade bought the whole shop. There were so many I couldn't count them all.

"What's that?" Lizzie asked Tori, who was sitting next to her. She was pointing at a bracelet.

"Oh! Um, a friend of mine grave it to me." She said.

_Steven._ I thought, remembering the iCarly segment that they humiliated him in front of over a million fans of the show. I hope they saw my email I sent out a few days ago. I congratulated them on their success and hoped all was well. No response yet, and I probably won't get one since they probably get thousands daily. Oh well.

"Why does it say Topi? You' we name's Towi." Lizzie asked.

"He messed up my name." Tori explained as Andre looked disgusted briefly and Beck shook his head. I know they wanted to chase after him, but Steven left too fast.

"Can I call you Topi? I like it." Lizzie asked. Tori looked like she could have melted into a puddle right there.

"Sure Lizzie." She said, hugging her. Lizzie grabbed her plate and took it to the sink. As I washed it the others resumed the game.

After a few more rounds Lizzie volunteered to look for everyone. By default, that meant I was with her. We counted to 50 and set off. Immediately I noticed how many good hiding spots there are in the house. We searched around for 5 minutes before Lizzie suddenly let go of my hand and ran towards a closet.

"Nobody's in there sweetie."

She opened the door, and what do you know, there was Jade, amongst the towels.

Lizzie made a triumphant noise and Jade smiled, uncovered herself, hugged her and twirled her around.

She systematically found the others in time. The consensus opinion was that she had a really good attention to detail.

About an hour later everyone said they had to go. Each looked sad as they bid farewell to Lizzie. Cat pulled her aside to let me chat for a moment with them.

"Thanks guys. Hope it wasn't too bad." I said.

"Are you kidding?" Tori said.

"That was fun man." Beck added.

"She's a lot of fun dude." Andre added.

"Yeah, tell me next time she's going to come, I want to say hi." Jade said.

"Me too, maybe hang for a bit." Beck added. Tori and Andre nodded.

"Ok, thanks. Glad you enjoyed it." I said

"Do you think she'd want my bracelet?" Tori asked.

"Yeah, but it's a bit big." I mused.

"I'll get a few links removed." Tori responded. They then went to their respective vehicles.

Cat and I watched cartoons with her for about an hour, and then took her to dinner.

Speaking of Cat, the similarities between the two most important girls in the world to me are striking. They love the color red, laugh at similar stuff and are always happy. I think Lizzie has a new best friend in fact. I can't say how happy it makes me to see both of them happy at the same time. Incredible.

We called Travis and said that we already got her dinner and were going to take a walk in the park then take her back to his house. He thanked me and said he hoped we were having a good time.

I was having a blast. When we reached the park Lizzie wasn't holding my hand, she was holding Cat's and chatting happily with her. We weren't the only people there, but most had strollers instead of walking with their kid.

"You guys are such a cute family." A young woman said, smiling at Lizzie and Cat.

_Family? She thinks Cat's her mom? And we're married?_

"Thank you." Cat blushed and smiled at her. I also smiled at her and kept walking. But inside, my mind was racing, incredulous Cat let that slide.

Lizzie didn't want to leave when we pulled up to her house, but Cat assured her she would see her soon. Lizzie then calmed down and went inside without complaint.

"She is the cutest thing on earth Robbie." Cat said, glassy eyed.

"Yeah, she's adorable." I said. A comfortable silence followed.

"When did you nickname her sunshine too?" Cat asked.

_Crap, I knew she noticed._

"It was when we were fighting and I didn't see you for awhile. I nicknamed her then. She liked it so it kinda stuck." I explained, bracing for a bomb.

"Ok. I'm still sunshine too right?"

"You're my sunshine sweetie." I told her. She smiled and kissed my cheek.

"That's all I needed to hear."


	4. Things are a changing

Mrs. Clarke has to be the English teacher that is trying to kill me! She keeps on assigning long projects as soon s we get done with one and grades them really hard. She actually gave me my first B in English on a report card, all my other ones were A's. I hate her as a teacher and I can't be quite as nice to her in the after school group, which I rarely go to because of HER projects.

Sorry, I had to blow off steam. Anyway, I'm here at Jade's. We're going to work on our new paper on Beowulf together, since we haven't talked much recently and it'll be easier to work when we bounce ideas off each other.

The moment I reach the front door and am on the verge of knocking I hear raised voices through the door.

"You bitch! You broke it on purpose!" A male voice yelled.

"I didn't break it I swear! I walked in and there it was, shattered on the floor!" Jade cried on, sounding like she was crying.

_What the hell…_

"Liar! You always break little things just to bleed money out of me you brat!"

"No! I am clumsy sometimes, I'm sorry!"

"Sorry isn't going to do it this time." The voice said.

"Whack!" went the sound of someone slapping Jade.

She cried out, and I burst in the door.

"Leave her alone, now!" I yelled. Much to my surprise it was Jade's father. I recognized him although I haven't seen him in years.

"No, I'll discipline my daughter how I wish." He growled. I stepped towards Jade and glared at him.

"No, not if you're going to hit her like that." I retorted.

"Who are you? How do you know my daughter?" he asked.

"I'm Robbie Shapiro, now leave her alone." I said, grabbing Jade by her wrist and helping her up.

"Shapiro, the Jewish kid she knew from elementary school?"

"Yeah, now bye!" I said, closing the door and taking Jade to my car. I started driving back to my house in silence. I don't want to force her to talk about what just transpired if she doesn't want to.

We both were silent most of the way home. Finally, "I'm sorry you had to see that." Jade said quietly, wiping her eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Jade. I'm glad I was there. Nobody should have to put up with that." I told her.

She sniffled. " I really didn't break the glass."

"It was a glass, that's it?" I yelled, stunned that little thing caused the incident.

"Yeah, I am clumsy sometimes but usually he breaks something and blames it on me."

"Everybody breaks stuff Jade, its part of growing up." I said, stepping into my house and grabbing some ice for her cheek. "But he shouldn't hit you for that, he shouldn't hit you period."

She took the ice and sat on the couch.

"You want some aspirin?" I offered.

"No, thanks though. He wasn't always like that you know."

"I remember him being stern, nut not like that. I think your mom would of stopped him" I murmured.

"She would have, but they divorced a few years back and he remarried some rich chick that is never around and when she is around she is always taking about her new purse or dress or something."

"That sucks." I said flatly.

"And now he's started doing this." She said, pointing at her cheek with ice on it.

"Please say it hasn't been very long."

"Not long, but I haven't really felt something resembling love towards him for about 3 years." Jade said, punctuating it with a sigh.

I got up from my seat and hugged her softly. I heard her sniffle and felt tears hit my shoulder. She held me tight and she just cried, sounding completely miserable.

Then she let me go. "Sorry about the shirt." She said. My white shirt had mascara marks on it from her tears.

"Is that you wear all those dark colors?" I boldly asked, voicing a wonder I had ever since she started wearing black as her primary color.

"Kinda, that and I actually like black. It's kinda representative of life."

"That's the way to look at things." I groaned, but smiled.

I eventually got her to lighten up a bit after some Xbox and lunch. She had a triple helping of Fro-Yo and almost went back for a fourth.

"Don't go for second best baby, put your love to the test, you know, you know you got to…"

"That's Cat, let me get that…" I said as we were about to leave the Fro-Yo place.

"Robbie, where are you?" Mr. Valentine said quickly.

"Close, what's wrong?" I heard someone crying loudly in the background.

"Something happened, get here fast, Cat needs you badly."


	5. Epicenter

"Wow." Beck said, running his hands through his hair.

Wow is a pretty good word for it. Everyone is here except Andre, who lives a bit farther away than Tori Beck, Jade and I.

We're all standing in the doorway of Cat's room, looking at a scene of complete destruction. Pictures, walls, the bed, the mirror, the dresser, everything. Broken, busted, glass everywhere. It looks like a tornado came in and took the place apart.

"Do you think it was them?" Jade asked Mr. Valentine, who was hugging his daughter who was crying into his shoulder uncontrollably. She'd been like that since Jade and I arrived. He said that I needed her but she hasn't turned to look at me since we got here. The others arrived right after us, and we all had the same reaction.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. What's goin o—WHOA!" Andre yelled, seeing the wrecked room.

"Colton and Michael." Tori said flatly.

"Why?" He said loudly.

"No clue, probably about how it went down with them." Tori explained again.

"Assholes." Jade said quietly, then quickly covering her mouth and looking at Cat's father. He waved her off.

"Usually I'd be mad, but this calls for it. Just don't do it again please." He said, stroking his daughter's hair.

"Are you sure it's them?" Beck asked the group. Cat let out a wail, and I swear it tore my heart apart.

"Who else would have a reason to do this, AND know where she lives?" Tori asked rhetorically.

_They are the only two candidates. Unless there's a third guy that nobody knows about. Except Cat that is._

I silently prayed that there isn't a third guy. It would make everything so much easier and would literally tear my heart apart.

Finally, Cat turned from her father and jumped at the sight of Beck, Jade, Andre, Tori and I in the small hallway next to her room. She sobbed and quickly hugged Beck, who whispered something in her ear.

_Why am I not the one she ran to?_

Apparently I looked depressed or sad or confused or something because everyone except Beck and cat were looking at me.

Cat took a few minutes to hear some comforting words from everyone then finally turned to me. I almost collapsed into my arms.

"I don't know what to do Robbie." She whispered.

"It's ok sweetie. Everything will work out and be ok. Promise." I whispered back. I could feel everyone's eyes on us, my arms gently hugging her.

"I don't think it's safe for Cat to stay here for the time being." Mr. Valentine.

Everyone nodded except Cat, who was back to hugging Beck.

"Where do you want to stay for a couple of days cupcake?" Mr. Valentine asked her.

_Looks like I'm having a house guest for the next week plus…_

"Jade please." Cat said quietly.

_Wait…did she say Jade? That hurts…she can do that but man that really hurts._

Everyone was looking at either Cat or me, looking surprised, including Jade herself.

"Sure, that's not a problem." Jade said, and Cat came and hugged her.

Everyone chatted for a few minutes and I quickly left. My head is still spinning after Cat's decision. I told her directly that she was always welcome, no matter what, day or night. Why did she choose Jade? There isn't anything wrong with that, other than the fact that Jade is going to be entering her home with and abusive father and an emotionally wrecked Cat.

What did I do wrong? Where did I mess up? I just do not get it. I don't even think I did anything wrong, I think Cat just chose Jade. I do think that there might be something behind it, but I'm not exactly certain it was any of my doing.

Good lord, she's driving me crazy again! Every time she makes a decision like this my head just comes off its hinges and I become a psycho. I just need to back up and let her live.

I drive back home in silence. Dinner is a subdued affair, and I didn't finish my small helping I gave myself. Eventually I toss aside my laptop and drive to the countryside a few miles beyond downtown to just sit under the sky and watch the stars. Looking for answers.

I do get one answer, and it didn't drop from the sky. Mr. Valentine mentioned he was going to clean up the room after the cops got there. I drove there and after finding out he was about to begin I convinced him to go to sleep and let me handle clean up.

I grabbed enough cleaning supplies, brooms and trash bags to supply an army and methodically plow through the disaster zone. I don't care that tomorrow's a school day, I don't care if I get yelled at by teachers, I simply just do not care. It's better than tossing and turning all night, thinking and eventually doing something dumb.

I just pick up the shattered pieces of Cat's belongings, write down the item and add it to the trash collection. The magnitude is unbelievable. I haven't found a single item that isn't in multiple pieces or scratched or damaged. They destroyed EVERYTHING.

The next thing I know its sunrise. 6 AM. I quietly sneak out of the house and go home, task unfinished. I barely got to her closet, which is less than 3 feet from the door.

Talk about trauma on a stunning scale.


	6. Aftershock

(A/N: Ok guys, I've been getting a lot of reviews that say that with how cat's acting she and Robbie shouldn't get together. One of the lessons of this story is about two people who have never loved before learning to love. Kind of like how Cat threw out the "Giraffe that learns to love" in Wi-Fi in the Sky. They're learning how to love, and not just Cat. Robbie too, just in his own way. Please be patient with this, it'll go from an ugly duckling into a swan, it just takes time.)

This is creepily reminiscent of last year, when I was doing really well in the plays. I almost never spoke to anyone, just a wave here or there, maybe a text message, but really just a long period of silence. We're closer than ever, protecting Cat from whatever evil the world, namely Colton and Michael want to throw her way.

It's been about a week since Cat's room got demolished. She's been with Jade and she's assured me her father has behaved himself and all is well with Cat. I was spot on about everyone being shocked she didn't pick me as it turns out. But she seems to be recovering quickly enough. However, that doesn't mean I'm on the same track.

I spent the rest of that week just getting through school then going right to Cat's room to clear more stuff out. It took 4 entire days to fully clear out, and then the movers came with new furniture since they had an insurance policy on Cat's room. All I know it's because something that happened with Cat's brother. He's a weird one, I'll tell you. Not normal.

There was one snag. The Natural gas flowed under Cat's room and somehow the bumbling buffoons messed it up, driving Cat's dad out of the house for 3 more weeks. Talk about frustrating, he's got to feel dumb for hiring those guys.

Back to me for a moment though. I think all this goes back to who Cat is. She's random, weird, funny and excitable all in one package. It's an awesome package, but along with it comes a devil's bargain. You have to deal with Cat's downtimes as well. Something I thought of is those times coincide with our rough patches, all the boyfriends, leading to with her staying with Jade. I just have to weather the storm and hope it passes.

"Knock, Knock" on my door. I open it to find Jade , with what looks like Cat behind her.

"Hey…what's up ladies?" I asked, offering them inside, Jade declined, while Cat was messing with her hands and sat down on my bed.

Jade started whispering to me. "She wanted to come here. No idea why, but she wanted to come talk to you."

I nodded, and Jade left. I turned to see Cat looking away and still messing with her hands.

"Hey sunshine, how are you?" I asked.

"I'm…ok. I guess. How are you Robbie?"

"Tired of all the English projects."

"Me too! Do you have Mrs. Clarke?" She asked, sounding exasperated and furious.

"Uh huh."

"Too much work!" She yelled.

"I agree. Any news on your room?" I asked. I wasn't supposed to clear out Cat's room and know about the gas leak. I haven't talked to her in awhile actually. I cancelled our movie night on Saturday because I needed to take Lizzie to San Diego.

She told me what I already knew, room clean but now there's a gas leak.

"That's terrible. I'm sorry." I said, pulling her into a hug. She willingly obliged.

"How was Jade's?" I asked. She buried her head into my shoulder.

"Lonely."

"Why?"

"I didn't have anyone to hug." She whispered. I pulled her close to me.

"But Jade's there."

"She's not a hug type of person."

That is true; she hasn't hugged me in forever. I can't remember a time she hugged me. Since elementary school that is.

Cat finally looked up at me innocently, eyes sparkling. It was clear something was on her mind.

"I know that face…talk sweetheart." I said.

She sighed. "Ok…"

"Jade asked me a whole lot of questions Robbie."

"About what?" I asked.

"Us. She's worried I'm not being fair to you."

"There's an us?" I wondered aloud.

"Yes, us. You and me. Cat and Robbie."

I nodded my head, smiling slightly. "Is what Jade said bothering you?" I asked.

"No, but it got me thinking. I wasn't exactly fair to you last week when I went to stay with Jade. I didn't want to burden you with all of my problems Robbie. I want you to be happy." She started crying but continued. "I chose Jade because I didn't want to make things harder on you."

I pulled her into a hug. "Sunshine. I want you to remember what I am going to say ok?" I told her.

She nodded into shoulder.

"I want to hear those problems. I want to be there for you sweetheart. It's not a burden, it's my job. I'm supposed to make you feel better. I just want to anything in my power to make you smile again."

"I know, I just am figuring out how to make this work…" she sobbed. "I haven't been with someone for this long before and nothing major has ever happened either. I just don't know what to do, and I left you high and dry."

"That's why you were hugging Beck. You didn't want me to see you at your worst."

Cat simply nodded and sobbed into my shoulder.

"Hey, if I can't help you at your worst than I don't deserve you at your best." I said, kissing her hair.

Cat looked at me suddenly. "That's not true; you always deserve me at my best."

"Sunshine, nobody can always be at their best. You just have to trust me enough to let me in and try to fix those problems."

"But if you do that I'll be making you a target for them." I assume the 'them' she's referring to is Colton and Michael.

"Let them come after me, I can take it sweetie. All I want is for you to trust me. Without that, what do we have?" I asked.

"Each other?" Cat asked, looking scared.

"Yeah, but the point I was going to make was that without trust we really don't have much."

That evidently wasn't what Cat wanted to hear because she started crying harder than ever. I simply rubbed her hair and whispered "It's ok sweetie." into her ear.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Robbie, I really didn't. I just care about you so much I didn't want to…"

"Cat. Please baby. C'mon. It's ok. That's in the past. All I want is for you to let me in. I know you want me to always be happy but all I want is to ease your fears and be there for you."

"I'm so bad at loving you Robbie…I'm sorry." She hugged me tightly.

"We're learning how to do this sweetie, and this was just a growing pain in that process. Just let it go and know that both of us will make mistakes and to forgive each other when we do, ok?"

Cat nodded into me and murmured something.

"I didn't catch that, sorry." I said. Cat looked up at me.

"Can I stay here for awhile?"

I smiled. _Finally. I think she understands what I tried to convey to her._

"Of course, you know you don't have to ask." I told her.

She kissed my cheek and wiped her eyes. "but it's better if I do."

"True, but I wouldn't mind if you just came in and laid down with me at 2 in the morning. If that's what you want, then do it. What's mine is yours."

"So if I can't sleep I can just come over and sleep with you?" She asked.

"As long as you let your father know."

She smiled and snuggled into me. "Ok, I'll try to do better Robbie. No promises though."

I love her honesty. It's so wonderful.

"Same here sweetie, Thank you for saying that." I kissed her hair as she smiled at me.

"I feel so loved Robbie…"

"That's because you are loved."

I swear she looked happier than I've ever seen her, and she kissed me lightly.

"I love you too."


	7. Viscosity

_AAAH! What's that?_

I jump out of my skin the second I regain consciousness due to something warm on my chest. I look to see Cat's leg wrapped around me with her thigh near my ribs. I still am not used to the way she contorts herself to me at night, scares me every time.

I glance at the clock, which blinks at me 5:29 in the morning.

_Seriously, one minute before__—_

My alarm starts blaring and Cat mumbles something to me before hugging me tightly. I roughly hit the alarm clock and groan. Out of all the mornings, I don't want to go today.

I turn to look at my red haired angel. She is obviously lightly dozing, but using me as her pillow like she normally does. I lightly kiss her on the cheek before whispering "Cat, wake up…it's morning…"

"I don't want to get up…" She said sleepily, grabbing my head and forcing it into her bra. I quickly remove myself, hoping she was still asleep when she did that.

"You liked that didn't youuu." She looked at me, eyes clearly focused on me.

"Cat, c'mon. You know how I am about that." I said exasperatedly, feeling myself go red.

"Yeah, well if you ever want to I don't care…" she whispered, pulling me onto her roughly. I tried to give her some space but she kept me close.

"On a rainy day maybe…" I trailed off; only to be flipped onto my back and Cat sit on top of me and rubbed against me.

"Cat…we have to go to school. Not now." I groaned as she adjusted herself.

"I just want to work off some stress. Please Robbie?"

"Later ok? I don't think—"

"Fine, don't think." She said, cutting me off before I could start again by kissing me aggressively. We kept at it for a bit before her shorts came off and she stopped briefly.

"I need to." Was all she said. The look in her eye had lust written all over it.

"I'll go take a shower then." I moved to get up but she pushed me back down roughly.

"No, I want you. Not the mattress. I need a release." She whispered deeply.

"Fine…" I caved. She smiled and kissed me.

_That is one lucky mattress._ I thought as Cat worked. She was constantly moving in crazy ways, but never stopping to breathe or separate her whole body from me. I just heard her groans of pleasure and the sensation of her rather erotic movements.

Once she finished she looked at me greedily. She had inadvertently worked me up in the process and I didn't even get a word out to protest before she started on me.

Finally, we broke apart, breathing heavily, and Cat smiling happily. "I do want to do it for real you know." She said simply, still perched on top of me. "Not today, but as you said, a rainy day."

I laughed. "You know, it's a saying. I don't have a problem with it; I just don't want to get interrupted."

She smiled widely, looking like I just made her day. "Next rainy morning. We won't go to school. Just lock the doors and we'll see what happens."

She got off of me but didn't walk away. "Do you like it?" She asked, referencing I guess to her in just a bra and underwear.

"Uhh…" I stuttered.

"Say it, I'm not going to be offended."

"Yeah." I said, looking down. She tackled me onto my bed in a hug, leaving nothing to be imagined about her body.

"You just love that don't you." I asked her. She nodded happily and finally let me shower in peace. Luckily we got to school right on time, and as usual, I ended up in Sikowitz's rather quickly.

I was listening to Andre and Beck talk about soccer when Cat came up, looking like she was about to burst into tears. I quickly hopped up and hugged her.

"What's wrong Cat?" Beck asked, sounding worried.

"Lane got me switched out of Costume Design." She managed to get out before starting crying.

"I thought you loved that class?" Andre asked, sounding worried.

"I did, and he changed it!" Cat yelled, muffled by her hugging me.

Jade appeared suddenly. "Changed it to what?"

Cat was quiet, and then shook her head.

"Cat, we can't help if you don't tell us." Beck said firmly. Cat peeked around me and whispered "Family Development"

My blood boiled the instant I heard that. Beck and Andre looked furious.

"Why?" Andre asked angrily as Tori approached.

"What's going on? Why is she crying?" Tori asked.

"Lane changed Cat from Costume Design to Family Development." Jade said, not looking pleased.

"She loves that class, why did he switch her out?"

I had a hunch, and I just threw it out there. "He got his hands on the manuscripts from the case back in August."

Everyone reacted negatively, either yelling or advancing on the door. I followed them out, pausing to speak to Cat.

"We're going to go fix this ok sweetie? Just stay here and everything will be fine when we get back." I told her. She nodded and I wiped a tear, smiled and followed the others. We passed Sikowitz in the hall.

"You are going to be late!" he called out to us.

"We're going to Lane's!" Beck called back.

"Bring a pass back!" he replied.

In no time we were at Lane's office. Andre threw open the door and everyone quickly filed in. I slammed the door behind me and Lane raised his head at the sound of the door.

"Hi! What can I do for you guys?" he said cheerily.

"Let's start with stop snooping in our lives!" Beck started.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." He replied, leaning back in his chair.

"You think Cat's some kind of teenage slut don't you?" Tori yelled, stepping forward and slamming her hands on his desk. "Why is she is Family Development!"

"She needs to learn skills before she gets herself pregnant, which could be at anytime."

"Why do you think that?" Jade growled.

"I saw what her lifestyle is like outside of school." Lane said calmly.

"You read the manuscript from the court case earlier!" Andre snapped, joining Tori at lane's desk. Lane was still lounging in his chair.

"I have an obligation to make the best decision for the students I look after." Was his response.

"That is none of your business! You humiliated her just by sticking her in there for even one day!" I spat, furious.

"That class is for the pregnant mothers and moms! Cat isn't like them!" Jade yelled.

"She leads an active sex life from what I understand."

"No, she doesn't." I stated, causing everyone to look at me in surprise.

"Well, you would know, wouldn't you?" Lane quipped. Beck and Andre grabbed me by the shoulders in case I was going to charge him.

"She ran to Robbie, crying that she was in that class. And why on earth did you switch her out of Costume Design! That's her favorite class!" Beck asked, sounding incredulous.

"She needs to learn a lesson." He pointedly looked to me

I frowned. "I'll be the judge of that. Switch the class back."

"I'll need a parent authorization."

"How'd you get it in the first place?"

"I got a typed letter from Cat's father saying he was concerned about her daughter and Robbie and wanted her to be switched from Costume design to Family development along with his signature for approval." Lane explained.

"Show us the note." Jade asked, sounding suspicious. The note was indeed typed out but the signature was off.

"That's not his signature." I said darkly, looking to the others.

"How do you know?' Lane asked.

"I deal with Cat's father a lot and that isn't his handwriting." I dug into my wallet for a note authorizing me to take Cat to the hospital if I ever needed to. I took it out and showed it to everyone.

"See? It's a fake. That and why would the note specifically say look at the manuscript from the court case?" I explained.

"They're up to something." Jade said darkly.

"Who?" Lane asked, sounding shocked he had been duped.

"Michael definitely, and probably Colton." Tori sighed as Andre cross examined the phony signature with the real signature.

"Cat mentioned something about guys with those names trying to get back at her by destroying her room?" Lane wondered.

"They did that." Andre said.

Lane leaned back again and sighed heavily. "You kids are right. I'll switch her back immediately." Beck made a move towards his passes.

"Good. Can you sign these so we can get back to class?" Beck asked politely.

"Yeah, how many do you need?" he asked, starting to sign.

"6." Beck answered. I quickly counted everyone in the room. Me, Tori, Jade, Andre and Beck himself. That's 5.

_He's up to something._

Lane handed Beck the passes and a pen. Beck wrote something on every pass and handed the rest back to Lane.

"Thank you sir." I said politely.

"No problem, sorry for the confusion." He said as Jade closed the door.

I looked at my pass.

_Please excuse Robbie for rest of the day._

_Reason: Community Service_

Below was Lane's signature.

My jaw dropped as the others followed suit. Beck simply smiled.

"Look at Cat's." He smirked.

_Please excuse Cat for the rest of the day._

_Reason: Emotional Distress_

I laughed seeing the reason. By then we reached Sikowitz's again.

"Cat, c'mon. We have to go." I called to her. She was looking at her phone then suddenly grabbed her bag.

"Where are you going?" Sikowitz asked.

"Community service." Beck smirked as Cat filed out and Andre shut the door.

"Why am I going to community service?" Cat asked, looking at me.

"We're not, we're leaving for the day." I explained, handing her the pass.

She glanced at it, and frowned. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"Easy sunshine." I hugged her as we handed the passes to the secretary, who let us pass with a simple 'Have a good day!'

"So…what are we going to do for the rest of today?" Tori asked

"I call the beach!" Cat yelled happily, accompanying the statement with a smile.

"That's pretty far, how about Typhoon Harbor?" Beck reasoned.

Ok, I'll go get changed." I smiled as Cat ran with Jade towards her car.

Once I got home I dug around in all my drawers, looking for my suit, but no luck. I ended up tossing all of my shirts aside in my frantic search. As I began to fold it back up I accidentally brushed the fabric close enough to my nose for me to smell Cat's familiar strawberry perfume. Just a light scent, but noticeable. The more shirts I put back, the stronger the scent got. I'm pretty sure every one of my shirts smell like Cat's strawberry perfume.

I finally found my suit, and while I was changing a thought hit me like a freight train.

_Cat is the most important thing in my life._ The thought is kind of shocking, it seems like something else should be up there. Nope, I guess it's the accumulation of the time spent together has caused me to have this revelation.

The thought doesn't leave my head the entire drive over to Typhoon Harbor. When I meet up with the others I pull cat into a tight hug and whisper "I love you so much sunshine. Don't ever leave me ok?"

"Ok Robbie." Was her response, as she smiled and hugged me back.

(A/N: Ok, I am still debating whether or not to have a sex scene as a part of this story. I don't want to change the rating of this story because if it becomes an M story my potential audience decreases dramatically. I would write it myself, but I've only written one and it wasn't very good. If you want to give it a shot, please message me, don't review please. I'd love to read it. Thanks for all the support and reviews. Always makes my day.)


	8. Late night epiphany

"So how are your boy troubles coming?" I asked Jade, who proceeded to glare at me.

It's about 2 in the morning, and we're taking the time to not act our age and stay up all night beating all the halo games in Campaign mode. She came over about 9 and we just started on the second game. She's taking the time to load up on popcorn and Dr. Tumbler while I customize my gun. It's a cheat, don't ask.

"Why do you ask?" Jade finally responded.

"Curious, you have been single all summer and a couple of times you randomly said you were going to be "Busy" then showed up."

"What? I can't just change plans?" She asked as she ducked behind a wall to avoid certain death via grenade.

"You can, it just happened multiple times; I assumed you were having boy troubles." I simply said.

"You assumed correct." Jade said, sounding saddened.

"I'm sorry, can I help?" I offered. Another grenade rolled in and blew both of us up.

"Yeah, you can throw yourself on that grenade next time to save me!" She said loudly, but smiled.

I laughed and started paying more attention. "A couple of dates went awry." Jade said randomly.

"Huh?" was all I said.

"My 'boy troubles'?" She said with air quotes around boy troubles.

"That's all?" I asked.

"I'm not good at looking for guys." She admitted. "You're lucky that Cat just fell into yo—"

My door creaked open, causing Jade to cut off her sentence. I gave her a look and turned to see Cat standing in the doorway in a tank top and shorts. No bag or anything, just her looking apprehensive and confused.

"Cat? What are you doing here? It's 2 in the morning!" Jade questioned, getting to her feet as I did he same and walked over to her.

"I couldn't sleep." Was her response as I hugged her softly. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, no. Robbie and I are just having fun. You can stay if you want." Jade insisted, patting the bed behind her.

"Ok, thank you. I'm going to get some water." Cat told me, releasing me and walking towards the kitchen. I turned to see Jade looking confused.

"And why is she here with no notice on a Friday night with practically nothing on?"

"The day you brought her over here she mentioned she couldn't sleep. I said she could come here if her father said it was ok." I explained. Jade smirked and punched my arm.

"Is there anything you won't do for her?" Jade asked jokingly as Cat walked back in. Jade and I resumed our game as Cat watched while lying on my bed. Jade and Cat started talking and I happily listened them talk about pets to shampoo to purses. Jade apparently hasn't lost that girlish side to her, just buried far below the surface. I doubt she'd even tell Beck about what she's talking to Cat about now with fervor.

After about 45 minutes Cat moved from the bed and laid down with her head on my leg, watching Jade and I tear up our opponent. The light reflected off her eyes and emphasized her freckles.

"Is this the game you guys said you played when you were younger?" Cat asked suddenly.

"Kinda, it's a sequel to one we played." Jade answered as she cleared out a room single handedly.

"Like a movie sequel?" Cat wondered. "They are never as good as the original."

"Exactly, except that doesn't apply to the games. Halo gets better." I said.

"What's Halo?" Cat asked, looking up at me.

"It's the trilogy of games we're playing right now." Jade told her as she narrowly avoided flying off a cliff running from a gigantic axe wielding foe. I quickly bailed her out by taking out Mr. Axe Man.

"Which one are you playing now?" She said, cringing as a massive explosion filled the screen.

"The second one." Jade and I both said at the same time. She paused it and asked "Did your parents take the guest bed with them?"

"No." I told her.

"Ok." She replied, unpausing it and promptly getting nailed.

"Do you guys do this often?" Cat asked. I jumped slightly, forgetting she was even in the room.

"Not really, just when neither of us has homework." Jade responded.

Suddenly we were overrun mercilessly. Jade looked confused.

"I can't believe I forgot about that." She said, surprised.

"Yeah." I said as Jade got up.

"Night!" She said, retreating out of the room and waving to us.

Cat got up off of me and asked "Did I ruin something?" She said shakily.

"No sunshine. You couldn't sleep?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Bad dream. I'm better now. I can hug you if I'm scared," She said as I pulled back the sheets. Cat went and shut the door then whipped off her shirt.

"Thanks Robbie." She mumbled, pulling herself to me.

Next thing I knew the sky was a dark gray and Cat had managed to pull herself flush with me with her face buried into my chest, legs wrapped around my waist.

"Boom…." Came from outside. I looked to my clock, but it was blank. I felt for my phone, but I felt nothing that felt like my phone. I tried to gently pry Cat off of me, but she woke up and sleepily grasped me tighter.

"No Robbie…don't go. I want you to stay here…" She said sleepily, pulling me close again.

"I need to get my phone sweetheart, the power went out."

"My phone's over by you, let me—" She said, pulling herself up and shoving her bra right in my face as she reached for her phone. I extracted myself to hear her talking again.

"Geez Robbie, you're such a prude. Loosen up." Cat said angrily.

"Hey! I'm sorry I don't like you shoving your bra in my face. Is it so bad that I want it to mean something?"

"No, but if I want to be physical, let me. I'm not a little girl." She said, sounding annoyed.

"I never said you were a little girl. I just don't want to be randomly feeling you up like Michael or Colton would." I said. I barely got the words out before I got a knee right in my stomach, making all the oxygen in my lungs disappear.

"I don't want to hear you say that again. It makes me feel dirty." Cat snapped as I attempted to regain my breath.

I roughly stood up, causing her to drop on my bed with a "Thump."

"I'm sorry, it's the truth. That isn't a reason to hurt me Cat. I'm out." I said, snatching up my shirt I discarded last night after I laid down and walking out of my room, slamming the door loudly.

I pulled the shirt on and poured some Orange juice, moving to sit on the couch. I rubbed my hand over my face, trying to wake up.

_I hope it isn't like 4 in the morning._

The door to the guest room opened, revealing Jade in a t-shirt looking thoroughly confused.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"Storm woke me up." I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"Robbie, don't you lie to me, I heard raised voices. Everything ok?"

"Yes, the storm woke me up." I lied, avoiding her gaze. She came and sat next to me and lifted my chin up.

"Robbie, what's going on? Something isn't right." She badgered me.

_I am not getting into the conversation with her. They're too close, and nothing good would come out of it except more worry from all involved._

"Jade, relax. I'm fine."

"So it's her that's the problem. What is it? I can keep a secret." She said, looking me dead in the eye.

"It isn't something you can fix." I told her.

"Well, talking always helps." was her reply.

"It isn't going to help in this case."

"Tell me generalities. No specifics. I'll be the judge if I want to hear something." Jade told me, sitting cross legged.

I sighed. "She wants something; I think we should give it some time."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked mildly surprised and concerned. "Can I take a couple of shots in the dark?"

"Go ahead." I told her, moving to get more orange juice.

"She wants to sleep with you in just her bra and underwear."

I poured my OJ calmly. _Already had that conversation…she won. Not that I was playing to win._

"Not exactly." I told her, topping off my glass and moving to put the container away.

"Ok. Simple. Sex."

I froze. _She guessed it! How does she come up with this? Is she like psychic?_

"Uhh…" I sputtered, placing the OJ in the fridge.

"Got 'em kid." She said triumphantly. "Come here." She patted the cushion next to her.

I silently prayed for this to be as painless as possible as I sat next to her.

"You're mad aren't you?" I immediately stated.

"No…with her track record it was bound to come up. Let me guess, she wants it, you want it to mean something."

"You know me too well." I looked away.

"Don't blame yourself, it's part of your personality." She reassured me.

I can't believe what I'm hearing. She's completely calm, and diagnosing the situation. If I look outside Cats and Dogs will be undoubtedly be getting along.

She took a breath and continued. "Relax dude, I'm not mad ok?"

"Hey, you said yourself for me to keep my hands off of her." I defensively replied.

"I amend my previous statement." was her response. I smiled, the old Jade said stuff like that all the time.

"What do you mean about my personality?" I questioned.

"You are one of the nicest and most reliable people I know. Cat is also, but she has a demanding side. But you don't want to rush things if it has a chance to damage things between you guys. And you should be worried, sex isn't an easy hurdle in any normal relationship, and you and Cat certainly aren't normal."

"Ok…what are you getting at?"

"Don't give in. She loves you, but she likes being in control. It has to be a power share, not one or the other in control."

"And what if she keeps protesting?"

"Maybe go a little farther, but don't completely satisfy her." She winked mischeviously.

"Ok…what time is it?" I asked as she started back towards the guest room.

"6:03. I'm going back to bed."

I sure won't be.


	9. Preparing

"Please explain again why we came over here?" Jade asked, barely hiding the venom in her voice. Tori sat back down on the couch and rolled her eyes.

"A couple of music producers that saw us at _Prome_" Tori emphasized Prome. "would like to speak to all of us."

"But only you, Andre and Cat performed that night." Jade said, nodding at Andre and I when she said our names.

"They asked for everyone." Tori responded.

"What did you sing at Prome?" Beck asked.

"BFB." Cat said happily to my left.

"What's that? A disease?" was Beck's response. I chuckled, causing Cat to kick me in the ankle.

"No, it's a song about Ryder." Andre supplied.

"Daniels?"

"Yep." I said. Cat rolled her eyes at me. I simply nudged her in the back, causing her to smile.

"Knock, Knock."

"I got it!" Tori called out unnecessarily. The rest of us smiled at her energy.

Three men in dark suits happily walked in the door after Tori asked them to come in.

Cat subtly sat a little closer to me and grabbed my hand. She was slightly shaking and looked at me, silently asking for my support. I squeezed her hand and looked back to the suited men who now looked ready to speak.

"Hi, I'm Andy Bennett, and this is Brad Hudson and Colby Cannon. We're the directors of IMG and ATG, leaders in the music industry here and in much of the world." A man said, gesturing to two men on his left.

Beck and Andre nodded, while Cat just tensed up more at the mention of the two world famous companies.

"Getting right down to it, we'd like to invite all of you to Miami for a week to sign you to contracts and record some Demo songs."

The girls seemed fit to burst with happiness at the offer, while Beck, Andre and I were skeptical.

"You mean Cat, Tori, Jade and Andre right?" Beck asked.

"No, we want to invite all of you. You are correct that we are only interested in those three, but we want to fly all of you to Miami to share in a special time and have a little fun." Another one of the suited men said.

"Are you kidding?" Tori asked, sounding ecstatic.

"Nope, very serious." Mr. Bennett said, as the third man who was yet to speak.

"When do we go?" Cat piped up, to the surprise of Andre, Beck and Jade whose eyebrows were raised.

"Thursday."

"That's just a few days away." Tori stated.

"Is that an issue?"

"No…where do we get our tickets?" Jade asked.

"You don't have tickets; we will be flying you on a Company jet."

"A private jet?" Andre asked as Tori and Cat hugged each other happily.

"Exactly, any questions?"

"Uhh…no." Jade said.

"Ok, I hope you kids have a good day." One of the suited men, whose name I had confused waved and the three of them left in silence.

As for those of us in Tori's house, we exchanged high fives and stayed up until 2 AM celebrating. The next couple of days were full of feverish exchanges with teachers trying to acquire a weeks' worth of work in 2 days while also dealing with the large amount of work already on our plates. The plan was for everyone to be packed by Wednesday night and everyone would drop their luggage at my place while they enjoy the last night in town.

In a blink of an eye, I had many large pieces of luggage as house guests and I was showering before Cat and I go to the movies. She had mentioned in passing that the Lion King had come out in 3D and she was waiting to see it.

Oddly enough, when I emerged from the bathroom my red haired princess was nowhere to be found. I made a couple of last minute checks on my stuff then walked out to my now filled living room.

I heard the crinkle of a bag and feverish footsteps near the pantry. I walk towards the noise to see to back of some sneakers and a glimpse of red hair.

I start smiling instinctively as I pull aside the door to see Cat holding multiple cookies in each hand and one in her mouth, facing me. She immediately went from pink to red then finally to crimson.

"Sorry, I had a craving for it." She said quietly as she munched on her cookie.

"No problem, if you want you can eat those on the way." I smiled as ruffled her hair. She blushed and smiled, dimple showing.

"Really?"

"Yeah, just grab a paper towel." I told her, walking to my car. She emerged from my house a few moments later, paper towel in hand and locked the door.

"Hey." I said as she climbed in and I started the car. We both sat there, music softly playing and Cat snacking on her cookies.

_She seems to be radiating happiness or confidence or…I don't know, she's just seems to be on cloud nine._

"You're happy." I stated. Cat simply nodded and nibbled her last cookie.

"Good, I like seeing my Cat happy." I said, then realizing my mistake.

_She isn't something you own Robbie! Here she goes…retreating from you._

Instead, Cat smiled and laid her head on my shoulder. I kept driving, silently reprimanding myself for jumping to that conclusion.

We stayed like that, me driving and Cat laying her head on my shoulder. Her hair was softly ticking the back of my neck and I resisted the temptation to just pull her into my arms and hug her. If nothing else I just want tonight to go well.

As we waited for a table at our pizza place there was a comfortable silence between us, Cat messing with her purse and me just watching her.

_Stop watching her! It's creepy! You don't want to be one of those boyfriends! You want what's best for her._

Suddenly Cat shook me. "C'mon. They called us." She said, grabbing me by the hand. I followed her to a table on the outdoor patio.

"Stop thinking." She spoke up the second the waitress took our normal order.

"Huh?" was all I managed to say.

"The car. And back there when I was messing with my makeup. You were thinking."

"No I wasn't…" I lied. Seems every time I think, she catches on and tells me to stop.

"Robbie. I know you were thinking. What ever it is about, don't worry. I'm fine. Better than fine actually."

The waitress dropped off the pizza. "You seem happy, I'll admit."

"You were too until you said I was yours." was Cat's reply. I blushed and looked down.

All Cat did was put down the mozzarella and say "Robbie…relax. I don't mind you saying stuff like that; it shows how much you care about me."

"But you are a person, not something I can own." I replied.

"Robbie, you stole my heart and claimed it. I'm definitely yours ok? Please smile?"

I smiled, causing her to emit a cute little giggle. She wasted no more time on the pizza. Together, we devoured it in less than 15 minutes and were off to the movie.

I like the light of a theater before a movie. It calms you down and makes you think of happy stuff. Cat is concentrating on a new app I got and I'm watching her, face furrowed in concentration. A loose strand of hair falls into her line of sight. I instinctively brushed it aside.

She turned to me. "Thanks Robbie." She said softly, removing the armrest between us and leaning on me.

"You are the best pillow ever." She said, as the lights dimmed for the trailer. I nonchalantly put my arm around her and relaxed.

This should be a lot of fun.


	10. Another Aftershock

HOOOOOOONNNNK!

Cat and I immediately going into freak out mode, I fell on top of her and she clutched to me, looking scared to death.

"Wake up you crazy kids!" Beck's voice came from behind my closed door.

"Beck!" Cat and I yelled.

"You guys need to get up!" was his reply. I looked to the clock. 6:13. The flight leaves at 9.

"We have a ton of time!" I yelled.

"We're going for breakfast, so not really!"

I sighed and Cat rested her head on my chest. "They just love to ruin our time alone don't they?" I asked.

She smirked. "Yeah…"

Then someone knocked on the door. "Are you decent?" came Jade's voice.

"I'm about to get my stuff!" Cat called out. That evidently didn't placate her, seeing how she poked her head in. She quickly frowned seeing how exposed Cat was and grabbed me and shoved me into the hall.

"Other bathroom, c'mon." She ordered, pointing towards the master bath.

"How about I get clothes first?" I flippantly replied.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine…"

I snatched my clothes and showered in my parents shower. It's my house and I've basically never been in the master bath.

I emerged to seeing everyone except Jade lounging in the living room watching TV.

"Hi. Where we going?"

"For breakfast? El Guapo!" Tori said, getting to her feet and making a punching gesture. Andre and Beck burst out laughing.

"What's so great about El Guapo?" I asked. Beck, Andre and Tori looked at me dumbfounded.

Suddenly I had a sharp pain in the back of my head. I turn to see Jade walking past me with a coffee cup in her hand.

"Why?" I asked, gesturing to Jade.

"El Guapo has to be the best breakfast in the LA area!" Tori said definitively.

"That you don't know about apparently." Jade said as she sat on the armrest of the couch.

"It sounds really good." Cat said, appearing at my elbow.

Turns out, they were exactly right. I had thought that it was going to be a Mexican style breakfast, but they had the biggest buffet line I've ever seen. Everything was delicious too, and the staff was frightened when the 6 of us walked in. Hilarious.

To make everything easier when we come back we've decided to take my car along with Jade's. Andre is with cat and I, and we make conversation the entire way to the airport. Andre is certainly the most unappreciated member of the group, but he's kind of the glue guy that keeps us loose and having fun.

We walk into the terminal to check in only to find a guy with a sign:

T. Vega

C. Valentine

A. Harris

We walked over to the guy, Beck and Jade looking surprised at our greeting.

"Hello?" Tori said, sounding unsure.

"Is this the Hollywood Arts Party?"

"Yeah, that's us." Beck supplied. The man motioned for us to follow him. We dropped off our bags and walked past security and right to a waiting plane.

_This is amazing. First class all the way._

"You can sit wherever you want." The flight attendant said. The plane had about 5 rows of seats.

Cat and I sat in the very back and I put my laptop under the seat. The engine started up and Cat grabbed my hand and had it in a vice like grip.

I looked over to her looking scared out of her mind and looking dead ahead at the seat where Andre was lounging with his eyes closed.

"Sunshine? You ok?" I asked. She looked to me with the same expression on her face.

"I don't like airplanes."

"Why not?" I asked.

"The first flight I remember the oxygen masks fell out and we had to make an emergency landing. I was so scared Robbie and it seemed like everyone abandoned me…" She said softly.

I instinctively hugged her and she held onto me tightly. "Don't worry. I'll be right here the entire time. If you need to hold my hand I don't mind."

"Ok."

Quickly the plane was on the runway and the attendant disappeared from view after taking drink orders. All I could think of was that one of the producers said everything is free so…

Cat gripped my hand tightly as we took off. I tried to loosen her up, but she apparently has major flying issues. The others seemed to be enjoying themselves using the plane's wi-fi and disregard of the "no cell phones" rule. What kind of plane has its own wi-fi? Apparently this one.

We evened out and after Cat started allowing blood to flow to my hand again I handed her my phone and she started on a cornucopia of apps.

Completely random note here, but these seats are amazingly comfortable. I think they're leather and—

Andre completely shatters all semblance of thought by turning his chair around completely to face Cat and I. I mean, the chair did a 180!

These chairs are amazing.

"Doing better little red?" Andre asked, rubbing her leg right above her knee. Cat smiled softly and answered "Yeah, thanks Andre."

_How does he know about Cat not liking flying?_

Cat excused herself to use the restroom. Andre was looking at me thoughtfully.

"What's on your mind man, I can see the gears spinning in your head."

"How'd you know Cat doesn't like flying? I didn't know that before just now."

"I forget when I found out, but it was awhile back. Don't sweat it man, she doesn't divulge much to anyone."

"But I'm her boyfriend." I bluntly said. Andre smirked slightly when I finished.

"You know how she is, she naturally is a hard person to be friendly to, and it's a defensive mechanism. She learns everything she can but it's basically a one way street outside of her brother." He said, smiling as he finished.

"Do you know if it is one or more than one?" I asked out of curiosity.

"No idea." He said, turning to Jade. "Hey Jade, does Cat have one brother or more?"

Jade looked up from the card game she was in with Tori and Beck. "She has two, both are crazy."

Andre turned back to me. "As I said man, don't worry. She'll open up in time." He stopped abruptly as Cat handed me a tray that held two gigantic strawberry lemonades.

Cat quickly was engrossed in Tori and jade's card game. After about 30 minutes we all were playing despite Cat consistently asking for help with her cards. She steadily got better and the flight flew by.

What Andre said was supposed to make me feel better I think. But something Cat told me a while back was telling. She said that she'd never been with someone for this long and didn't know how to act. What I never got to say was that I feel the exact same way and we are in the same boat.

_I just pray I won't need a lifeboat._


	11. Bumps in the road

I slowly opened my eyes, taking the scene of a plush hotel room that has a mini fridge, fully stocked bar and two, count them TWO flat screen TV's. The familiar sound of Cat's soft breathing washed over me.

Surprisingly, I was the one with my arms around her this time. Her face was away from me but I knew she was smiling as usual. It was just the two of us, since Cat gave her room to Jade so she and Andre didn't have to share a room.

_God, her skin is so soft._ I thought, running my hands across her skin. She is in the most basic of sleepwear, only two pieces of fabric separate her entire self from me, and I don't doubt if I simply said "take it off" they would evaporate. Sorry, off topic.

It's times like these that I realize how I know I can't function without her. It doesn't happen much, but it's usually a good day when it does. I softly run my hands across her stomach and softly kiss her neck as memories off all the awesome times we keep sharing together fly across my mind.

_Never leave me Cat…you have no idea how much you mean to me…_ I wish I could just bottle this time and enjoy it when I might actually need it.

I continue to run my hands all across her skin and kiss her softly. I would usually have second thoughts, but she said be aggressive so I'm not holding back. I am respecting her though, avoiding her bra and underwear, despite my secret urge to caress her.

_Easy Robbie…_I force myself, thinking of Mamaw in order to "calm me down".

Next thing I knew, Cat was looking up at me, and smiling.

"Your hands feel soooo good." She purred, as I ran my hands across the small of her back. She leaned against me and groaned in appreciation.

"Why so excited?" She asked seductively, after she glanced down at me.

"I was…" _Man…_

"Robbie…"

"I got a little carried away when I had my hands on you."

Suddenly she smirked lustily. "Upstairs or down."

"Upstairs…"

She groaned and wrapped herself around me again. Looking up she said "If you're ready…"

"Here?" I asked, heartbeat escalating rapidly.

"I'll bite the pillow or whisper to you." She said, grabbing my hands and placing them on her bra clasps. With shaking hands and with a small "click" it came loose. She promptly grabbed it and threw it over her head.

I grabbed her back and hugged her, feeling her breasts push on me, and she groaned.

I wanted to so bad right then and there, but I looked down to her, and she nodded.

"Ohhhh…Robbie…" She whispered huskily as she started grinding me the moments I grabbed her breasts. Every time I shifted my hand she practically whimpered.

Up, Down. Groan softly into my ear. Wash, rinse, repeat. After a few minutes of this I abandon pretense and kiss her roughly while continuing to touch her.

"My goodness…." She whispered when we stopped kissing. The pace quickened, and I was on the edge of going too.

Next thing I knew, BOOM! She groaned and I lost it. I hope nobody else can hear us, but we weren't very quiet in the end. She actually said a swear word right in the middle of it and I was so immersed in my pleasure that it took me a moment to register it.

"Cat!" I said.'

"Sorry Robbie, you drive me to extreme measures when you do that. As I told you before, you are mind blowing."

"It's cool. I think I'm ready to cave to your request." I said.

She looked ready to go right then. "Really?"

"Not now tiger, when we get back."

"Can't wait for us to get back…"

I smile and continue to touch her. She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. I discreetly looked over her shoulder to see the clock blinking 5:09.

I smiled and kissed her softly. "What time is it?" She asked sleepily after we separated.

"5:10." I told her, hugging her across her chest.

"We need to get going by 5:45 right?" She asked.

"Yeah." I responded. She flipped over and motioned for me to keep going. I followed through and whispered some things to her that I will take to my grave. Not bad things, just stuff that is going to stay in between us.

After awhile, I saw it was 5:30 and Cat had just let me go. _Now or never._

"Hey sunshine?"

"Yeah?" Cat responded.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah…what's wrong Robbie, did you get in trouble?" Cat quickly asked, looking scared.

"No, I just want to say something."

"Oh, ok." She said. I put my head on my shoulder with her facing away from me.

"Ready?" I asked. She nodded and grabbed my hands which again were around her waist.

"You mean the world to me. Please don't you ever leave me. Nothing is more special to me than the girl I'm hugging right now." I whispered.

She immediately blushed and turned and hugged me tightly. I felt some tears fall onto my chest.

"Cat…" The one thing that wasn't supposed to do was make her cry.

"I'm ok Robbie." She sobbed. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I wish we were older."

"Why?" I wondered.

"So I could marry you and start a family."

I immediately tensed up. _OMG OMG OMG OMG. _

"Robbie?" She asked, suddenly sounding hysterical.

"Yeah?" I asked hoarsely.

"Did I say something?" She asked, sounding afraid.

"No, no sweetie. I…just…I…" I simply cannot form a coherent thought.

"Was I too quick to come out with that?" She asked, looking at me and seemingly calming down.

_Hug her Robbie._ Snapped into my brain.

I followed through on the thought. "Cat, I…" I started, and then looked at her. She looked shaky, but was hugging me and waiting for me to speak.

"I didn't know you felt that way." I managed to get out.

"About getting married and starting a family?" She asked, and I nodded.

"Do you not like it?" She asked, sounding close to running out, crying.

"No…I love it. I just can't believe you want me to be with you like that and willing to say that."

"So you aren't against it?" She squeaked.

"Definitely not. I can't say what I said then push you away like that. I have no problem being everything you want me to be." I hugged her, and she hugged me tightly back.

"I want you to be my everything Robbie." She whispered. I suddenly thought I was about to cry, but settled for kissing her cheek softly.

Suddenly, the alarm started wailing, causing Cat to fall off her side of the bed and pull me with her. I hit the alarm so hard it fell off the bedside table.

"I'm going to hit Beck for blaring the air horn yesterday." I heard her say as I put my head on her collarbone.

"You should, but I don't mind ending up like this." I smirked.

Suddenly she looked at me funny. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"What do you think I'm saying?" I confidently shot back at her, smiling.

She pulled me so close to her there wasn't any space between us. "You want me to show everything don't you?"

"I…umm….uhhh…." I spluttered. Not going to lie, I considered just blurting out yes, but that would me her go CRAZY. 

Apparently that was all she needed to hear, pulling me back onto the bed, discarding her last veil of secrecy and wrapped her legs around me, groaning as she did it.

"You already touched me, so you've already seen it. Why wait?" was her reasoning, whispered in my ear.

"Sunshine, I don't mean this bad. Why are you so willing to do this?" I asked, voicing a long standing question.

"Because you are the best guy I know, and if worse guys have already been there, then you deserve everything. And I'm going to give it to you. You said take it slow, so" She wiggled her hips against me, causing me to squirm. "we're taking it slow. It's more…fun that way."

I was just about to forget about everything, that fact we're supposed to be at the studio by 9, that everyone else is in adjoining rooms, that I told her that I WANT to wait to have sex. I was _thisclose_ to giving in when an alarm went off, and a heavy thud came from the room directly behind us.

"You better go first, already ready and everything…" I muttered, looking down. Cat kissed my cheek and walked to the shower, smiling. I tried to be a good boy, and look away, but I did look.

_I'm so weak._

I just lied there for a few minutes, thinking how she can make me do literally ANYTHING. I was just about to tell her "forget waiting, let's go now."

_Get a grip dude._

"Hey, Robbie?" Jade said, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

I freaked out, almost falling off my side of the bed and pulled the covers up.

"How'd you get in here?"

"Door. Did you sleep well?" She asked, looking around the room.

"Uh, yeah." I said, as she quickly got up and grabbed something off the floor. When she reappeared she had Cat's bra in hand, and was smirking.

_Damn, forgot. Where's her underwear…_I started feeling around under the covers for the one article of clothing I wasn't supposed to possess.

"You loosening up? I hope I didn't interrupt anything." She said, sounding genuinely worried.

"No, she was done way before you woke up."

She smiled. "You aren't going to make it back to Hollywood, you know that right?"

"Jade, I am capable of restraining myself for a wee—" My sentence was cut off by my phone vibrating.

_Robbie, can you grab me the bra and underwear from this morning?-Cat_

"What does she want?"

"To see me, not to be rude but—"

"I'll leave you crazy kids alone; don't want to hear this…" She said, walking out.

I finally found the articles and gave them to Cat. I kept hoping the entire time that Jade would keep quiet.

After a nice, not awkward and happy breakfast a couple of cars pulled up to take us to the studio. We took an elevator to the 13th floor and were greeted by the sight of the three men we saw at Tori's, a gigantic box that I assume is soundproofed and headphones that go around our ears.

"Hi!" Cat said enthusiastically. The three men nodded in her direction, looking somber.

"Glad to see you all made it on time."

"Yep!" Tori smiled.

"Now, we need each of you girls to sing a few test songs in order to determine how this afternoon will proceed, is that ok with you?" The blonde haired one said.

Andre raised his hand "What about me?"

"You too."

I smiled softly and Beck was smirking as well.

Cat was the first to sing, covering Rihanna and Adele. Tori did some Beatles, Jade also did Adele and I have no idea what Andre did, but everyone was very good.

Suddenly, my phone rang. "Hello?" I asked, walking out of the studio.

"Hello Robbie? It's Jessica from Infinity Publishers; you said you were going to be in town this week?"

_Oh yeah, I'm supposed to meet wit them this week._

"Hi Jessica, and yes, I am in town this week."

"Cool, do you think we could go and meet over lunch?"

"Sure, where do you need me to go?"

"Our headquarters, I can give you the address."

"Sure." I copied down the address and promised to be at the address about 12.

I hung up and checked the time. 10:45.

_Please let Cat go first so I can see her then go…_

Luckily, the sea parted long enough for me to hear Cat sing "Love the Way You Lie." One word describes it all.

Angelic.

_And she's my red haired angel._

At some point during the song, Beck leaned towards me.

"You know, I hope you aren't mad, but I do love her." Was all he said.

"I'm not mad; I don't get how anyone can't love her." I replied. He smiled sheepishly.

I actually have heard Cat sing this once before, going on our movie night. I remember how there is a piano solo late in the song and she bowed her head. I'm just waiting.

"So maybe I'm…a masochist…I try to run…but I don't wanna ever leave… till these walls…. are going up….and smoke without, any memories…."

Finally the piano solo started, and I bowed my head, sneaking a peek to Cat doing the same. I smiled, knowing what the song is about.

"Just gonna stand there and watch me burn… but that's alright because I like the way it hurts…just gonna stand there and hear me cry… but that's alright because I love the way you lie…"

I looked up to Tori, Jade, and Beck looking at me. I look to Cat, seeing her smile, knowing she executed.

I leaned over to Beck. "I have to run an errand, can you tell her that for me but say I did hear her?"

Beck nodded, and I clapped him on the back and hurried to my meeting.

Surprisingly, Jessica was the "executive" I was supposed to meet. Basically she told me this: Since I had already signed, I just needed to turn over the final version of the book, with possible titles and submit them by Friday in order for it to be reviewed for grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

The food was great, and we spent the rest of the time talking about why I wrote the book, and what my expectations were. We were walking back to the office when I heard a screech.

"ROBBIE!"

Jessica jumped, looking over my shoulder. I didn't need to turn to know it was Cat. She shook my hand, and I said I'd be by to drop off the final version.

I turned to see Cat, followed by the others.

"What was that?" She immediately demanded.

"Jessica."

"Why?" Cat added on, gaining more steam by the second.

"She's the executive for my book."

"Book?" everyone asked.

"When did you write a book?" Jade asked, half laughing.

"Remember when I said I had a project for Mrs. Clarke?" I began.

"Don't talk about her." Tori quickly said.

"That was the project. A book." Beck and the others nodded in realization.

Cat, however, was not swayed. "You're lying. Why were you with her?"

"Cat, I'm not lying. She is the executive for my book."

"How do I know you aren't cheating on me?" was her response. Jade and Beck looked alarmed at her assertion while Andre and Tori looked intimidated by the scene unfolding.

"Did you see the handshake? If we were involved wouldn't I have hugged her, maybe even kissed her?" I asked.

She frowned. "I don't believe you."

"Fine. If I ever DO actually cheat on you, then you can slap me."

"WHACK!"

The others quickly dragged her away from me, grabbing both of her hands as I had a startling thought.

_She hit me! I said it as a joke!_

"Ok, we're separating you two." Andre said forcefully. Jade looked surprised and I simply shrugged my shoulders.

I immediately felt something warm on my cheek. I felt it, and my finger came away red.

_Great, she made me bleed._ I went back to the hotel to discover it was a legitimate, angry scratch from her nails that came from her slapping me.

It took about 30 minutes from the time I left the hotel to get back to the recording studio. I entered to find that the three suited men had apparently stepped out. Cat, immediately hopped up and started towards me, but was roughly yanked right back down by Jade, who did not look happy at all.

"What are we waiting on?" I asked Tori, Andre and Beck, who were on the other side of the room as the girls.

"Some contract lingo. They want all of us." Andre smiled and Tori giggled excitedly.

"Dude…did she cut you?" Beck asked, looking at my cheek.

I sighed. "Yeah…" Tori glared angrily at Cat, who looked down shamefully.

Suddenly, the suited men had reemerged, each holding many sheets of paper. "Ok, the verbage is approved, we just need you kids to look this over and sign by Friday."

"Ok, thanks guys." Beck smiled, guiding Tori out of the room and motioning for Jade and the rest of us to follow.

As we rode back in the cars Jade and I looked over her contract. The others were in the other car. Beck told me that they had spoke to her, and wanted to reinforce the message.

One thing about this contract. It's about 30 pages of legalese.

"This thing is huge!" Jade said.

"We should send it to a lawyer, you know any?"

"No, but Beck knows one."

Once we got back to the hotel I talked to beck and Andre about the Lawyer idea. They liked it, and Beck said that he'd get on the horn with his uncle, who is the lawyer Jade was referring to.

Finally, I returned to my room. I opened the door to see Cat, sprawled out on the bed and bawling her eyes out. She looked up to see me entering the room and started crying again, only banging her head into a pillow.

I quickly rushed over to her and grabbed her, preventing her from hurting herself anymore.

She looked up at me, searching for some sign that I wasn't mad at her. She apparently found it and started crying uncontrollably.

"Robbieee…." She sobbed, holding onto me. "I'm (hic) so (hic) so sorry (hic). I was (hic) so jealous that I (hic) overreacted (hic). Please don't (hic) break up (hic) with meee..." She cried out, then held her face so tight against my shirt her next few words were almost inaudible.

"Cat. Easy sweetheart. I know you flipped out. I'm not breaking up with you."

She muffled a few more words into my chest.

"I completely understand." I told her, kissing and stroking her hair. I wasn't happy with her, but this was the most emotionally fragile I've ever seen her. I doubt it's the time to voice my displeasure over what happened earlier.

It took about 30 minutes to calm her down enough to speak without hiccupping and another 30 to talk out how I felt about her slapping me.

I did get her to stop crying. I however was unable to get her to forgive herself from slapping me. She told me she understood if I didn't want to hold her or do a lot of the normal stuff we usually do when we're alone.

I'm glad she did say that because after dinner I found myself feeling nauseous about treating Cat like I normally do. I'm not mad, just…trying to figure this out.

Left arm, right arm, legs, breathe. The pool was my retreat. It was deserted and perfect for me to sort through my troubled head. I went through kind of a mental checklist.

_Do I love her?_ A resounding yes.

_Where do we stand?_ We're ok, but not like we normally are.

_Scale of 1-10?_ I'd say about a 6. Lowest it's been since we talked in her car at the end of last year. That was about a 2, although I can't imagine it getting worse.

_Do you want to go grab her and shove her against a wall?_ Not like this morning.

I grabbed my towel and phone only to see it was about 10:30. Soon I had changed into shorts and removed my shirt. I walked out of the bathroom only to find Cat in a tank top and shorts, looking troubled.

"Hi…"

"Hey Cat, is something the matter?" I asked.

"Umm…do you want to sleep with me?" She asked, blushing and looking away.

I impulsively picked her up and threw her over my shoulder. She cried out "Robbie! What are you doing?" while giggling. I effortlessly tossed her onto the bed and laid beside her.

She flung off the shorts and tank top and hugged me. "Robbie. I'm really sorry about today."

I kissed her cheek softly. "Relax girl, just hug me and go to sleep."

She smiled, and turned her back to me. I hit the lights.

_She still hasn't forgiven herself…_

I closed my eyes and tried to block out my brain from what I really want. A good night's sleep.

5 minutes past, 10, then 15. Still awake. Cat's breathing slowed. Suddenly her hand started reaching out, grabbing fistfuls of covers, the finding my uncovered chest. I think she was feeling around for me. I'm pretty sure she's asleep, since her breathing hasn't changed. She kept feeling me, going as high as my neck as at one point running her hand right between my legs, which made me jump away from her. Finally, she reached all the way across my body and grabbed me, pulling herself to me and smiled.

Yep, I was right. She was asleep the entire time. Her soft snores filled my head.

I laid there for about 15 minutes, trying to power down my brain. I finally gave in and grabbed Cat's contract off the table across the room, making sure I didn't wake Cat up as I stood.

I started scanning the document, and I immediately spotted lots of fishy language. Like "Above party agrees to participate in advertisements and interviews set up by the company, with out notification." And "If contract is broken, party cannot sign with another record for 5 entire years."

It quickly reached ridiculous numbers. I had a feeling they were going to pull a fast one. I suddenly realize that the contract was what was really bugging me. Not Cat, but those ganky execs. I grabbed a notepad and started documenting all the examples of erroneous language. I eventually moved to the bed opposite Cat and I's bed just to get comfortable. I have found 15 examples of bad language and….


	12. One long sleepless night

Cat POV

_What a nice day…unicorns galloping in a nice fresh field without people messing it up. Ooh! I can see horses and cows and nice fluffy clouds. I love fluffy clouds; it would be nice to take a nap with Robbie in a cloud. He's so warm and soft, maybe I wouldn't know what a cloud feels like because I'd be cuddled up to Robbie._

_Where is Robbie anyway? He's always with me, even when the unicorns are around. Last night was fun, he took me to our bedroom and he finally "gave in" to me. He was soooo happy. I just hugged him. It was awesome._

I rolled over, snapping me out of my dream. I'm surprised Robbie isn't my pillow like he always is.

"_Wait…where is Robbie?"_ I thought. I started looking around the blurry room, searching for him.

"_There he is!"_ I thought angrily. There he is, asleep on the OTHER bed with the contract hanging from his hands.

_Why does he have the contract in his hand? That's my contract!_

_Breathe Cat…he loves you. He is just looking out for you. He probably couldn't sleep and grabbed the contract to look it over. See! There's a notepad next to him and a pen. He was writing something!_

Great, as that psychologist told me "The first sign of madness is arguing with yourself."

_The only person you are mad at is you Cat! You slapped him and he avoided you the rest of the day yesterday._

Robbie suddenly rose from his slumber and yawned loudly. I quickly pretended to be asleep again as he got up and stretched. He walked over to my bed and softly lay down next to me and pulled me in for a hug.

"Cat…" He whispered softly. He leaned his head against mine and whispered "No matter what, I'll always be there for you; you can't get rid of me that easily. You want to be my everything, problem is, you already are. I love you Catarina Valentine."

_EEEP! He is so amazing and cute and loving and…Robbie! I just want to jump up and down up pure excitement._

He stayed like that, leaning his head on mine until finally he kissed my cheek and trudged off to the bathroom. I had to hold myself back from just turning around and hugging him really tight, like he does for me.

My security blanket, my shelter. My Robbie. Everyone is always there when school is in session; he's there whenever I need him to be, even if I'm scared at 3 in the morning.

"Hey there sunshine." Robbie said suddenly, smiling down at me from the front of the bed.

"Robbie!" I said softly, surprised he was there. "How long were you there? I didn't hear you."

"Not long, I just wanted to say hi. I looked at the contract, looks like they tried to pull as fast one." He said, gaining confidence the longer he spoke.

I don't think anyone else has noticed, but he doesn't really have great self esteem. He always thinks less of himself, and that kind of hurt us when we started out, which hurt the bumps in the road.

"Huh?" I said, realizing I hadn't responded to Robbie yet.

"Nothing sunshine, didn't mean to bore you or anything."

My heart sank. _I wasn't bored…_

"Anyway, I'm out of the shower so you can get going if you want, I'm going for coffee." He said, walking out of the room.

"Phoo." I said to the empty room. That did not go as I planned. I wanted to talk for awhile, maybe tell him that I really care about him. I don't say it enough, and I know that.

I trudged my way to the shower. Robbie permeated my every thought. The more I think about it, the more I know I need to make up for some of my mistakes that I keep making.

Suddenly, someone started banging on the door. "Cat?"

That's Jade.

"Hi Jade!"

"Hey Cat, everything alright?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, you've been in there for an hour and Robbie said your coffee is getting cold."

"Oh!" I quickly hit the water and grab my towel.

I dress as quick as I can, hoping to see everyone as long as possible before we head over. I fling open the door to find an empty room and coffee with a warmer thing on it.

_He's so thoughtful…my favorite kind too. I could jump up and down with everything he's already done, and it's…9:37 in the morning! I gotta get going!_

I walk into Jade's room to find her watching "Real Housewives of New York".

"Hey, I love that show." I said, sipping my coffee.

"Cool, we should get together and just be lazy and watch it all day." Jade smiled, standing up.

"The others have already headed over, so when ever you're ready." She told me. My spirits fell through the floor. I still don't get to see Robbie. Phoo. I feel like throwing something.

The ride to the studio went well, Jade and I talked about what to expect today after Robbie found a whole lot of messy language in the contracts. I feel even worse for what happened this morning; he must have stayed up really late and fell asleep before he could come back to me.

_You deserved to sleep alone after the way you treated him._ A voice in the back of my head told me. I shook it off, and took the elevator up to the recording studio.

I quickly walk in to Tori in the box with everyone except Robbie listening, including the mean suited guys. I do not like them, they are tight. Wait…tight is good. They are so not tight.

Adding to my displeasure is the fact that Robbie isn't even in the room. I turn to Beck. He is good friends with Robbie; he'd know where he is.

"Hi Beck…do you know where Robbie is?"

"Hey Cat, I do. He went to give the final version of his book to the publisher. He said he'd be back soon."

I frowned, thinking that I didn't even know he was writing a book. What else don't I know about him?

Beck suddenly placed his hand on my knee. "Cat, its ok, he's not mad. I talked to him, he's just busy setting all of this stuff up correctly and talking to the lawyers about you guys' contracts." He gave me a reassuring smile as looked back to Tori doing some audio layovers.

It seemed like forever until Jade and Tori finished and I finally got my time in the box. I sung my heart out, hoping that Robbie would know that I was thinking of him the entire time.

After a nice long session I stepped out to Tori and Jade hugging me, saying I did spectacular. Andre, Beck and YAY! Robbie! Wait…they're talking, and it's obviously important. The blonde haired guy with a suit keeps trying to butt in, but Robbie keeps on stopping him cold.

The three of them kept at it for about 5 minutes, and then the suited guy walked away, not looking very happy.

"Good…" Jade said under her breath but loud enough for Tori and I to hear it. I made sure he wasn't looking and stuck my tongue at him.

_HAH! That's what you get for disagreeing with Robbie! Nothing and you will like it!_

_EEP!_ I think Andre, Beck and Robbie saw me. They are all smirking. I waved at them, specifically to Robbie.

They all waved back, and what's better is that I think Robbie knew I was waving to me and smiled!

_Wait…no, don't…aww man!_

Andre looped his arm around Robbie's shoulder and the two of them plus Beck walked out.

Lunch wasn't very fun. I mean, don't get me wrong, Jade and Tori are fun, but I miss Robbie. The lasagna I had was good too, noodles like ravioli, the best kind of pasta pillows!

When we got back Andre was waiting for us. "Hey, Robbie and Beck are still meeting with the lawyers, that Cannon dude is a real jerk."

"Why?" Jade asked.

"He said that since one of the pages of Cat's contract was wrinkled, that she, along with you two had made a 'gentleman's agreement'."

Tori looked puzzled. I didn't get it, but I know we aren't gentlemen.

"Really?" Tori asked.

"Yeah, Robbie beat them back by saying that you guys aren't gentlemen, so the rule doesn't apply. Turns out he's actually right.

_Wow, how'd he know that?_ I wondered and apparently I'm not the only one thinking that by the looks on Jade and Tori's faces.

We literally did nothing the rest of the day. Jade asked if we could use the box, but since we're in a "Legal Dispute" we can't. Luckily, Andre brought some cards and we played for the rest of the time, so we could get paid since we stayed there the allotted time.

I couldn't wait for the car to drop us off at the hotel and to get back to my room.

_DARN IT! Still no Robbie!_

I tried to occupy my self by looking through my bag for my phone, only to remember it needed to charge. I tried magazines, but nothing—OOH! New prom dress styles are coming out! I can't wait to go to prome with Robbie! It'll be so much fun!

I was so engrossed in the dresses that I didn't hear the door open. Nor did I hear it close. Pages upon pages of beautiful styles, so many I would love to wear, and LOOK! A full 3 page breakdown for shoes and a section for matching ties and tuxedos!

The rapid clicking of typing on a keyboard broke me from my concentration.

_ROBBIE!_

He looks exhausted, but pleased and am I happy to see him!

"Robbie!" I squeal, standing up and running towards him, unable to contain my excitement.

"Hey Cat, finding any good prome dresses?" He asked, winking mischievously. The more I'm around him I notice his funny little quirks that always make me smile. Kind of like him and my freckles.

However, I go from ecstatic to feeling terribly selfish. He might have been there for 20 minutes and I didn't notice him.

"Yeah…how are you?" I asked in a small voice.

"Tired, those jerks from AMG and IMG, they are the stingiest bunch of ganks ever." He said, looking thoroughly aggravated.

"I'm sorry." I said, brushing aside a stray hair and causing him to smirk at my gesture.

My heart skipped a tiny beat just by seeing that smile. They need to make an app for that.

"Hey Robbie?"

"Yes Cat?"

"I need a hug." I said, unable to take our separation any longer. He smiled widely, popped right up and hugged me really really REALLY tight. So tight I didn't even notice that he threw me over his shoulder.

Suddenly, I was falling. Robbie had dropped me._ Wait…he wouldn't hurt me. He would rather get hit by a bus._

"Thud!" I hit the mattress and bounced about a foot up into the air.

"Robbie!" I giggled, trying to pull him down with me. He caved and laid down beside me.

"Aaah, this is much better." He smiled, eyes closed. I half hugged him and laid my head on his chest.

I removed it to see him smiling at me. "You can go back to reading if you want."

That's exactly what I did, so happy that I finally had my Robbie at arms length after many attempts by the world to separate us.

I don't know how long I read, but when I looked up, Robbie was asleep, head leaning on my shoulder.

_Aww…he's so adorable! He fell asleep, he must have been exhausted._

I put my magazine to one side and just kind of watched how peaceful he looked, he effortlessly put everything he could into the day and fell asleep once he let his guard down.

It was a while later when Jade came in. "Hey Cat, what do you and Robb—"

I waved my arms frantically, trying to show he was asleep. Finally, she saw him and smiled really happily, then pointed to her phone.

1 new message. _What do you want from room service? P.S: He looks so cute :) –Jade_

I asked for a couple of sandwiches and tried to get back to reading. My mind wouldn't let me though.

_It's the first time he's ever fallen asleep on me, but I always fall asleep on him._

The thought makes me smile and scares me at the same time.


	13. A very Special Day

One sharp blast of a horn right in my ear was exactly what I needed to get up. Luckily, I planned for this to happen. I need to get up extra early to help out Beck and everyone else this morning.

I proceed to the shower, like a robot on an assembly line. I always follow a routine in the morning. Kinda boring, maybe I should shake things up a bit.

We've been back in LA for about a week now. Turns out we settled on the contract. Beck and I are representing the three girls, and IMG calls out whenever they feel someone should start on a new project or something. Luckily, they have offices in Santa Barbara so we won't have to go all the way across the country. That Cannon guy turned out to be a complete jerk, so we ended up dumping him and going with IMG. Little did we know we were in the middle of a bidding war.

I emerge from my room fully clothed after sneaking a peek at the clock. 6:45. I hear quick shuffling and hushed voices coming from the living room.

I walked in, hands held high in surrender. "Hey guys." I smiled.

"Robbie!" Tori and Jade said happily at the same time. Beck smirked and Andre nodded towards me.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Good, just need to put the banner up, and set the table. We already have the princess's crown, shaved ice and cake already in the fridge." Jade told me.

I helped the others with the decorations, but really there wasn't much to do. I snuck a peek back at my room to see the light come on.

"Guys!" I quickly whispered. I pointed towards my door and we scrambled to hide in the kitchen behind the counters.

My bedroom door opened to Cat tugging on her hair with a hairbrush, looking sleepy but content.

"Hello? Robbie? You here?" She called out. I looked to Jade, who was ticking off her fingers while smiling.

3…2…1…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The five of us yelled, standing up quickly. Cat jumped out of her skin, looking up and seeing the banner that said the same thing and started smiling widely.

She looked happier than I have seen in awhile. Jade quickly walked over and hugged her, spinning her around. Andre, Beck and I exchanged high fives. It was extremely hard to keep all of the shopping for today away from her; we had to hide most of it at Tori's and Andre's.

Cat made her way over to Beck, who scooped her up and twirled her around.

"Happy birthday sweetie."

Cat giggled and hugged him. She did the same for Andre and Tori. She started walking towards me but then saw the layout for the kitchen and ran to get a closer look. I had just put the worry that had sprung up in the back of my mind away when Jade handed me the crown, which I was supposed to put on her.

Beck and the others were already in the kitchen, dishing out the breakfast that we had catered in. We had already decided today was a day we could afford to miss school. After all, what is more important, a girl's 18th birthday or a day of boring school?

_Your girlfriend's birthday._

I quietly snuck up behind her and placed the crown upon her head. At first she looked half afraid, but then saw me, felt the crown and pulled me into a soft hug.

"Happy birthday sunshine." I whispered. She smiled, and then turned back to her breakfast.

When we originally ordered, I didn't think we could eat all of that, but sure enough, there aren't any leftovers. It was a delicious breakfast.

"Well, thanks guys. I'll go and get ready for school." Cat said, starting to stand up.

"Who said we're going to school?" Andre said, leaning back.

"But…" She started.

"Cat, today is a celebration of you. You're not going to school; we're going to have fun today." Tori said definitively.

"OK!" She said running off to get ready. I joined the others in doing the dishes until Jade pulled me aside.

"Hey." I smiled. "What's up?"

"This is what's up." She said, handing me a white book with red trim. I opened it to the first page it said: Diary. Cat's signature in cursive, which looked like she wrote it a long time ago, was below.

"Jade, I can't re—"

"Shhh. You don't want her to know you have this do you?"

"How'd you even get it?" I demanded.

"She left it at my house." I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"When was she over at your house?"

"She slept over last week."

_She was supposed to be with her family then._

Jade seemingly read my mind. "She got into a big argument with her parents and has been staying with me. I thought you knew!"

"Nope." was my response. Jade frowned pointedly.

"Anyway, she started this two years ago, look at the date." She pointed to a date Cat had scribbled on the first entry, 10/29.

"I marked the pages that she talks extensively about you with the pink tabs. It's nothing bad, so don't worry."

"That's why her signature—"

"Looks so young. Yeah, I know." Jade finished.

I was just about to ask her how much she had read when Andre called out for her. She waved mysteriously and walked off.

Meanwhile, I fled to my bedroom, where Cat was still cleaning up. I opened the book to the first page marked by a pink tab.

_Dear diary,_

_Today I met a new boy, someone who's friends with Beck. His name's Robbie. I tried to be really nice, since Jade and Beck are going out and he knows Beck and…it didn't work. He seemed really shy. Or scared. I hope I didn't scare him, I want to be friends. He seemed nice enough, a lot better than those mean senior guys that always say hi randomly in the halls. Jade didn't look happy when Robbie was around, I wonder if they had an argument? Anyway, hopefully I can be really good friends with this new boy, Robbie._

_For now,_

_Xoxo_

_Cat_

Behind me, I hear the water shut off, which Cat only does once she's out and ready to come out. I quickly put the diary under my bed and pretend to be making my bed when she came out.

Surprisingly, she didn't squeal or laugh or say anything. She just wrapped her arms around me as far as they could go and rested her head on my back.

I smiled and turned to face her. She had her eyes closed, and had a smile on her beautiful features.

"Why so loving?" I asked, half laughing.

"This is an awesome birthday."

"But it isn't even 10 yet! We haven't even had fun yet!" I said, sounding shocked.

"I know, but it's already awesome because you're here."

"Thanks sunshine." I said, feeling nervous because of the large compliment. I shook off the feeling and kissed her hair.

"There she is!" Beck joked, once we walked out of my room.

Tori was standing there, smiling with a camera. "Picture time!"

We took what seemed like thousands of pictures, everyone had at least 5 with the birthday girl, and then we all took turns with group shots. Lastly, we set it up so everyone could be in the picture.

"So what are we doing?" Cat asked after Tori had put her camera away.

"Depends, laser tag or go karts." Andre said.

"Go Karts." She said immediately, jumping up to run after Jade, who had taken her crown and started running towards her car.

By the time I got to my car, Jade and Cat were nowhere to be found. I was just about to pull out when I saw Andre knocking on my window.

"Beck and Tori already ditched, you mind?"

"Not at all man." I smiled as he climbed in. We debated what the schedule should be for Tori's new music, since "All I Want Is Everything" is basically a finished product.

"I agree, probably an EP to gauge interest." Andre said.

"She's only going to get better, so we can afford to take things kind of slow." I remarked.

"True, plus the teen market is full of talent. Miley Cyrus, Bieber, Selena Gomez, Carly." Andre added.

"Don't forget about Carly, you heard 'Leave It All to Shine'."

"I did." He smiled, getting out of the car.

We joined Beck and the others at the door. "We already got the stuff, whenever you're ready." He said, smiling at the sight of Cat bouncing around in anticipation.

"Let's go." Andre said coolly. Cat dashed right inside. We all followed, only to find Cat frozen in place, looking at the sight of the ENORMOUS track.

_Oh my goodness. This can't be just one, can it? What about the adjoining building?_

Turns out, my suspicion was right, there's two per building, and one by itself is the largest track I've ever seen. Cat is like frozen there, gazing at the cars zooming like the sight of everything has swallowed her.

I exchange looks with Beck, Jade and Tori. A random thought pops into my head.

I spring forward and whisper "Boo!" and tickle her sides. She jumped a few inches off the ground and started trying to punch my arm. Fortunately I caught her wrists before she could do any real damage.

The others walked past, smiling and looking amused. "You're going to pay for that." was her response.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" I retorted.

"Duh." Was smiled, then went to catch up with the others.

Once the guys had checked our licenses we grabbed some helmets and patiently waited while some guy explained the rules. 1. Be polite. 2. No vulgar language. 3. Don't drive off the road.

After about 10 minutes we were waved towards the carts. I purposely set up in the back, to be a buffer for the girls so they could get acclimated. Why don't I need to get acclimated? I'm a good driver.

Apparently, I'm very wrong. The girls all took off, leaving the first couple of carts in front of them in the dust. I was certainly impressed.

Andre and Beck took the same tact as the girls and soon had disappeared. I wasn't being slow, they just were more aggressive.

After 3 or so laps I had joined Beck and Jade, who were battling each other, unaware that people were slipping by. I joined the stream slipping by and yelled "Thanks!"

Quickly, I had to swerve to avoid a guy in the wall. I saw a glimpse of red hair ahead, who had a cart right next to her, and looked like he was saying something.

It took me a few minutes to be close enough to get close enough to hear "C'mon! You'll have a blast! You can't have plans!"

Cat yelled. "Shut up!"

"No, why?" the guy yelled back.

"I have a boyfriend!"

"He can't be that great…OW!" He yelled after I had rammed him in the back of his cart.

I pulled up beside him, which gave Cat some space. I heard the roar of beck and Jade behind me, so he would regret any retaliation.

"Back off, Cat's my girl!"

He obviously didn't like that and rammed me, almost putting me into the wall. Someone, I don't know whether it was beck or Jade hit him really hard. Strike that, it was Jade, Beck just hit him.

That allowed me to get some room and get away from such a nice gentleman, I caught up to Cat soon enough, only to hear…

"What do you mean I'm 'Your girl'?"

"Nothing, just guy talk." I smiled back.

We spent a couple of hours, just going around in circles. Finally, after another couple of laps and dinner we bade farewell and retreated back to my house. Cat is in the kitchen getting something…I don't know what.

I'm not even thinking about that right now. I just pulled out my trump card. A little box I bought yesterday after debating whether or not to buy it for weeks. I caved, and this tiny box is now in my hands. I calmly place it back in my pocket and go to wash my hands. My hands are shaking, I'm soooo nervous. I'm not worried; it's just a step in the right direction.

I come back at the same time she does. She waved hi to me and placed her phone on the bedside table. I walked across the room and shut the door.

"Hey Cat?" I asked. _I hope she didn't hear my voice shake._

"Yeah?" She replied, turning to me and smiling.

I tried to say something, but the words just didn't come. Instead, I pulled the little box out of my pocket and placed it in her open hand.

She looked at me, eyes wide and sparkling. "Robbie…"

Finally, I found my voice. "Open it."

Inside was a little ring with her birthstone, colored the same as her hair. She gasped, and looked to me quickly. "It's so pretty…"

I just sat there, as she looked at it, like I had actually proposed to her. I don't know how nervous you get before actually proposing, but this was bad enough.

The silence stretched to the point that I thought I had to speak again. "It's a promise ring sweetheart. I'm making a promise to you."

"Ok…"

"I promise to care for you, and love you, and always be there for you no matter what ok sunshine?"

She let out a small sob and said "Robbie…"

I pulled her into my arms and she sobbed into my shoulder. "Why did you get this for meee? I'm not that great, I have a lot of issues."

"Cat, you are the best girl in the world, issues and all."

"Is this a proposal or something?" She squeaked out.

I chuckled. "No, as I said, it's a promise."

She didn't reply, she just held onto me while looking at it over my shoulder.

"Do you like it?" I asked, hoping she did.

"I've never seen anything this pretty before."

I laughed. "That's what I say everyday when I see you."

She simply looked at me, tears still in her eyes and smiled.

_That's all I need._


	14. Twist of Fate

Thump Thump. Thump Thump. Thump Thump.

I just listened to my heart. And look where that got me. Cat curled up under my arm.

Looking up, I see something dangling off my ceiling fan. I chuckle at the memory, but am brought out of the memory by the young lady who single handedly created it.

"Hi Robbie." Cat mumbled sleepily, kissing my cheek.

"Hey sweetie, I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"How'd your bra get up there?"

She laughed and smiled, pausing only to kiss me deeply.

"I don't know, but you were there, why don't you tell me?" She laughed.

I sighed, placing my head on her collarbone. She wrapped her arms around me and whispered "I'm never taking your ring off. Until you give me the real thing. Then I'll just swap fingers."

I smiled. "Your skin is so soft."

"You would know, you had your hands on every inch." She smirked.

"Hey, you were pestering me for months about that, and I finally gave in. You should be happy!"

"Yeah, you were stuck between me and a rock…and I won. He he." She giggled.

I sighed and got going with my routine. Cat seemed like she was floating a couple of inches off the floor the entire way to school.

Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice.

"What's with her?" Jade asked.

"She's been a good mood all morning." I replied.

She gave me a mysterious look. Luckily, I was saved by class starting.

Sikowitz described a new play that was approved by the board, something about 19th century knights. Sounds exciting. Beck, Andre and I signed up for the trio of leading knights.

"Now, for something a little weird." Sikowitz called out. Everyone froze. Many people looked curiously cautious, while Tori, Cat and Jade simply looked scared at the prospect.

"Calm down, it's not dangerous…" he called out while walking into the storage room.

"FENCING!"

"YES!" Beck, Andre and I yelled, rushing forward. For the most part people looked relaxed while grabbing a sword or a saber whatever it is and a face guard.

Tori and Cat ended up paired together, and the thought briefly crossed my mind that there was good chance that they would go do their nails instead.

Andre and I ended up together, along with Beck and Jade. The two of them fought with a surprising bitterness, mostly from Jade's sword. Beck at times, looked to be hanging on by his fingertips, with a limit of 10 touches per partner.

Andre and I were a pretty even match, even though we moved around a lot. Most people ducked, and we slowly made our way across the room, and at one point pinning Sikowitz against the wall.

Unfortunately, one slice of my sword took off a small puff of Sikowitz's blow away hair.

"Hey! Easy on the hair! I don't have much left!" He called out to us.

"Sorry!" Andre called back. I tried to capitalize, but Andre fended off my attack.

Cat and Tori had gotten into it after all, with both girls showing surprising courage in risk taking. I don't quite think they got it though, because when Cat knocked Tori's sword away, Tori yanked Cat's out of her hand and Cat tackled her into a hug.

I barely noticed as Andre and I slowly proceeded over to them. Cat, who had knocked Tori to the ground was just starting to stand when Andre and I got into a skirmish right over their heads.

"AAH!" Tori yelled, dropping back down to the floor.

"Robbie!" Cat yelled, whacking me in the leg. I didn't reply, trying to beat Andre. I did steer the battle away from the girls. At least I thought I did, when Andre took one last swipe at me.

Unfortunately, I ducked just as Cat stood.

"Swip."

Cat gasped, as a strand of red hair came back with his sword.

"Run." I said, as both of us ditched the fight just to get away from Cat, who was bound to be furious.

The bell rang, and I was bracing for a lecture in front of everyone at lunch. She didn't come out, and I had no idea what she was thinking until my phone vibrated,

_I want to talk to you tonight after I eat at home. You are in trouble, just saying that now.-Cat_

Oh my, she is still steamed. Andre needed a ride home, and I showed him the text.

"Dude." Her replied, handing my phone back.

"Yeah."

"You're gonna need a bodyguard."

"I know."

"It was just one hair." He said adamantly, with a hint of desperation.

" I know, but that hair is like gold to her."

"Well, good luck. If you need a body cast you know who to call." He smiled, stepping out.

"Thanks man." I replied, turning back for home.

I had barely gotten inside the door when the landline rang.

_Weird, almost nobody has that number._

"Hello?"

"Robbie! Hi sweetie! How are you?"

_Mom._

"Not bad, is dad on too?"

"Right here, nice to hear from you." Dad replied.

It was nice to speak to my parents for the first time in a long time. Things sound fun in Barcelona, and Dad has made good impressions. I did hear numerous jokes about house parties and Cat, but they were joking and seemed genuinely concerned about the rise from Cat's ex's. They asked for her phone number, saying they miss her and might call sometime.

_I have the best parents._

Afterward, I checked my email. Nothing big, except for another email from IMG saying how pleased they are with the agreement and…

Hold the phone. I might be wrong about nothing big in the email.

The last message is from 

_Oh Boy._

It reads: _ Hi Robbie! It's Freddie from iCarly. Hope everything is going well in LA. Anyway, our school, Ridgeway, is paying for Carly, Sam and I to go somewhere this year and do an on location show. Long story, but they're paying. We (Carly and I in particular) were wondering if you wouldn't mind if we came down again and did the Hollywood Arts thing for a few days and shoot the show there? Email back anytime._

_Nice talking to you, and hope to hear back soon,_

_Freddie Benson_

_iCarly Technical Producer_

Sounds good to me, wonder why he isn't emailing Tori, they really seemed to hit it off at Kenan's. Doesn't matter, I'll talk to everyone and bounce the idea off them.

I start brainstorming for idea when my door comes flying open and sharply hits the backstop. Cat is in the doorway holding a gigantic pizza box.

"Sorry, I can't get the door."

"It's ok, did you kick it open?"

"Uh huh." She said, sounding proud.

After applying our cheeses, this time from my fridge, we inhaled the pizza. No small talk, just eating.

I did the dishes, and after coming back from the bathroom, Cat watched in silence.

Once I finished, she yanked on my arm, dragging me towards the door. "C'mon, we're talking now."

We took off in the general direction of the park. She maintained a silence until we had walked for a solid 10 minutes and reached the sidewalk that leads straight there.

"Robbie."

"Yes sunshine?" For once, she didn't looked pleased.

"Do you have any idea why I'm mad?" She asked hotly.

"I accidentally sliced off one beautiful hair off your head." I replied. She whipped around to face me.

"When you say it that way it sounds like I'm overreacting and that I'm spoiled!"

"You're not, didn't mean it that way." I quickly said.

"Good, glad we cleared that up." She bluntly said, kicking a pebble.

A moment passed. "So what did I do wrong?" I asked.

"You didn't care that I was in danger."

"I did too! And you weren't in danger, you just happened to stand up at the exact wrong moment and I'm sorry."

"You are completely missing the point! You kept on slicing away at each other, knowing I was below you. I hit your leg! I thought that would say 'hey, stop and let me clear out!'" She exclaimed.

"Cat, it isn't that simple." I stated, passing under a tree.

Suddenly, a gloved hand was placed over my mouth and a elbow was around my neck.

"MMMMPH!" I yelled for Cat, scared and being dragged backwards.

"Yes it is!" Cat continued, not looking back at my escalating situation. "If that situation ever arose again, I don't know that you'll protect me!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice started speaking into my ear.

"Listen to her, babbling on about you protecting her. You stole her from us, and she's going to pay. And you're the first victim you bastard." 

I tried to kick him, only to have him hit me really hard in the stomach and for me to see stars.

"I know Beck and Andre are bigger than you, but I still rely on you to protect me I—"

A sharp object suddenly went into my back, and I yelled as my attacker twisted the object in deeper.

"Hurts, doesn't it. Now you know how bad it hurts to lose something you love. You're here, helpless and we're going to take her and there isn't anything you can do about it. Don't mess with Cat Valentine jackass, you get what you deserve."

"c'mon Robbie, I know you can do it, you don't have to put up a valiant fight or something, just give me enough time to get away and—"

_How ironic, that's what I'm trying to do by yelling into the glove._

Th eworld suddenly stared going dim. Audio, visual, everything.

_I'm running out of air…I'm going to die._

Without further thought, my attacker let me go and I started to fall. I saw a figure in a mask dart toward the unsuspecting Cat.

_That's it. I failed. I didn't save her. God save her now, there isn't anymore I can do._

I start my face plant towards the concrete when it all goes dark.


	15. Whirlwind

Cold, hard concrete is the first thing I feel when I regain consciousness.

Second is blinding pain from my back to the point I don't even attempt to yell for help or anything, it's paralyzing.

I lie there for I don't know how long until my heart actually slows to the point that I can temporarily open my eyes and take in my surroundings.

Since it's almost fall, the first leaves are just now starting to fall. It's really pretty.

_Oh no…_My blood immediately chills as I see a torn piece of the jacket Cat was wearing against the tree.

I know about the jacket because it's the leather one my mom got me a few years back. Cat grabbed it before she was…wait…what? I completely lost my train of….

Boy, I feel terrible.

I try to push myself up, only to have my leg buckle and I do another face plant onto the concrete.

_Get to the jacket._ Was the only thought going through my head.

I slowly get up and stumble, dragging my leg the 8-10 feet to the tree.

_Good, now I just need to…_

"ROBBIE!" I hear voices behind me call out, sounding desperate.

Again, lights out, another face plant, this time into the tree trunk.

Beep…..Beep….Beep.

_That's a heart monitor. I'm in a hospital._

Guilt immediately rushes to my head.

_I don't mind being left on the sidewalk forever if Cat got away. I doubt she did, the jacket was shredded._

I sigh, and fall back into the dark abyss…..

"We should have thought of them making another attempt at them."

_That's Beck. Wait…what's the sniffling sound?_

"Why didn't we! I'm so stupid…." Jade cried out.

_Jade's crying. And I'm here in a hospital. Again. They had to see me in danger. Again._

"It's not your fault, we hadn't heard from them in forever." Andre said.

Beep._ Heart monitor._

"But we still should ha—" I start to hear, but the blackness is claiming me again. I'm trying to fight it, I want to know more, but the dark wins.

Beep. Someone is soft shoes is shuffling around my bed. I think it's a nurse. It's definitely a female voice humming a tune under her breath.

I open my eyes to the sight of a dark room, with a TV and sure enough, a nurse reading off a screen that I assume is behind me.

"Hello?" I croak out, voice raspy.

The nurse's face perks up. "Hi! Nice of you to rejoin us Mr. Shapiro.

_Mr. Shapiro is my dad, I'm just Robbie._ A voice in the back of my mind said. I guess having your dad as an investment banker leads you to think like that.

"No problem…where am I?" I asked as the nurse placed a plastic cup with water on my little table.

"ICU at LA General." She said as I sipped the water. Immediately I feel a lot better, and even better, fully awake.

"Ok, I have a vague memory of why." I replied.

"Ok, please tell me what you remember." She said, pulling out a pen and paper.

"I was walking down to the park with my girlfriend. We were talking about school, and after I passed a tree someone grabbed me by the neck and placed their hand over my mouth and stabbed me with something. Last thing I remember was passing out."

The lady looked worried, but the look didn't last long. "Ok Mr. Shapiro, I'm going to let you rest." She said, placing a button attached to an IV into my hand.

"Robbie, Mr. Shapiro is my dad." I joked, cracking a ginger smile.

She laughed. "Ok Robbie. That's morphine if you want it." She said, waving as she left the room.

I sighed, and this time laid back, hoping that sleep would come over m…..

Beep.

Suddenly, what sounds like an army of soldiers are charging towards the room adjacent from me. It awakens me as I hear voices asking "was the number changed?"

I barely have time to register before—

"Found it!"

Tori, Jade, Beck and Andre came running in. All are out of breath.

"I…thought…they said…he was…awake." Tori gasped.

"They did say that, but maybe that's because he stirred or something." Andre hypothesized.

"Or maybe it's because I can hear your every word?" I sarcastically call out.

"Robbie!" Tori and Jade exclaim at the same time. I think they're running because

OOMPH! Two solid bodies come in, hugging my shoulders tightly.

"Easy, easy." I joked.

"Why don't you open your eyes?" Jade asked.

"Because my eyes hurt. Are the lights on?" I asked.

"Yeah, you want them off?" Beck asked.

"If you don't mind."

Click. I saw the room get really dark through my eyelids.

"Thanks, I don't like bright light right now."

"That's ok, we'll use our phones to find the—OW! DAMN IT!" Jade yelled angrily.

"What?" Andre and Beck asked.

"Hit my leg." She said, as the sound of chairs being moved towards the bed filled the room.

"Ok, first off, what time is it?" I asked.

"3 AM." Tori replied calmly.

"WHAT? Why is it 3 AM?"

"Well, you have been out for a day and a half, putting us at 3 AM on a Friday."

I groaned. "I hate who did this."

"You remember?" Beck asked, sounding apprehensive. The sound of Tori whacking his knee was next.

"Yeah."

"Do you mind telling us? The docs won't tell us why, just what's wrong." Jade said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

"Sure, but since it's 3 AM do you mind if we open that window so there's a little light?"

Andre stood up and opened the window, allowing the streetlights to softly fill the room.

Now I can finally see their faces. Tori and Beck are on my left, with Jade and Andre on my right. Tori and Jade are closest to me. Everybody has a mixture of shock, relief and concern on their faces.

"Ok…I had just gotten off the phone with my parents and emailing Freddie from iCarly when—"

"You emailed Freddie from iCarly?" Tori interrupted, sounding excited.

"Yeah, yeah. More on that later. Anyway, Cat brought me dinner. We ate in peace, and then headed down to the park. We had just reached the sidewalk trail and passed a tree. Someone grabbed my neck and placed a hand over my mouth. He then stabbed me with something and next thing I know, I passed out." I finished. Jade was giving my hand a death grip and Andre sighed.

"Well, we can fill in some details for you. It was a knife that stabbed you. Right in the back, near your ribs. They had to cut you open more, only to find that they messed up your back again. They did some procedure, put you back together and sent you here." Beck answered.

"It was Colton and Michael?" I stated.

"How'd you know that?" Tori asked, sounding awestruck.

"Call it a hunch. They are the only ones that messed up my back before." I said, smiling.

"_Listen to her, babbling on about you protecting her. You stole her from us, and she's going to pay. And you're the first victim you bastard."  
><em>

Michael. I thought I recognized that voice. I involuntarily shudder at the thought of him having me by the throat and a knife in my back.

"Robbie? You awake?" Jade asked suddenly.

"I'm here, sorry." I apologized.

My mind floats back to the circumstances. Me yelling for Cat to run, only to have his hand muffle all hope of her getting away. She didn't even know I was in danger.

"Cat had a scary story to tell." Jade said. I immediately shoot up, hoping beyond hope she's saying what I think she just said.

"She's ok?" I manage to get out.

"Yeah."

I try to turn and slam my face into the pillow to hide the tears that are just about to fall. I find I can't due to some belt, so I resort to pulling the pillow over my head and putting my face into it right before I burst into tears.

I wept quietly as Jade and Tori rubbed my shoulders.

"Its ok man, she's alright." Beck said.

"I never got to warn her. His hand was over my mouth and I tried yelling and to get away, but he was too strong." I cried out, unable to hold it back any longer.

I failed. And she still managed to get away from those monsters.

_How?_

"She said that she was talking to you when she heard a heavy thud and turned to see two figures in masks coming towards her. She saw you on the ground, blood coming out of you and ran. Apparently Michael tackled her and sliced her wrist, but she grabbed it and threw it. She somehow got away from him and saw that she had hit the other guy in the leg with the throw. From there, she ran to Tori's since it was the closest, Tori's dad was at the door and we came for you. We found you with a piece of the leather jacket she was wearing that got sliced off by the knife by a tree." Jade finished. I looked up to everyone wiping their eyes, or rubbing their faces.

"Didn't find them?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Nope. Only evidence was a fingerprint on the knife, and since Michael was already in the police database, it was easy." Beck said.

"Figures." I muttered.

"They are on a manhunt right now. It's been all over the news. Obviously, they can't use your name, but Cat's is out there." Andre told me.

I sighed. Nobody spoke for a moment.

"So why are you here at 3AM again?" I asked.

"Well, you had back surgery, got mugged and are in the ICU." Tori said with a smile.

"You didn't wake up all of yesterday, and once we heard you woke up briefly, we came as quick as we could." Jade said.

"Thanks." I smiled weakly, putting my pillow back.

_Oh man, she might be alive, but she is a wreck with the emotional trauma._ I silently hit myself inside for not thinking of this sooner. This might actually be worse. For her at least.

I think my expression changed or something because Jade suddenly spoke up. "Don't worry. Cat's at Tori's with her dad protecting her all day."

"That's not what I'm worried about, she is probably going insane if not already." I said bluntly.

Yep, I was right. She isn't good emotionally. Everyone sat back slowly and either frowned or sighed.

"She keeps on yelling at herself, for not looking back, for yelling at you when all this was happening. She's almost unreachable." Jade said, sounding slightly afraid.

"What do you mean?"

"She's in my room, and other than showers and meals she doesn't talk or come out of my room. We can hear her reprimanding herself, it's so bad Robbie."

"So she is inconsolable?" I threw out there.

"Basically. She won't let anyone beside Tori's dad touch her." Jade said.

"You think she would mind if she visited me?"

"I'll ask dad, but that would probably help."

Tori walked out, dialing her father.

"You feel ok?" Beck asked.

"Sore."

"Not, that, I mean about Cat."

"Oh. Um, well, I feel terrible I didn't get to warn her in time." I was about to elaborate, but hold myself back.

_She was going on about how I failed to protect her. Cat didn't tell them that, and nor should I._

Tori quickly came back in. "It's ok, but he said we have to leave."

"Ok, I'll text you." Jade told me as Beck and Andre nodded. She bent down and whispered "It'll be ok, don't worry."

Tori then hugged me, and Beck and Andre bid farewell. Suddenly, it was just me and a slowly lightening up room.

_Where is my phone?_ I wondered. I pressed the call nurse button and asked that very question. She replied by pulling it out of a bag and handing it to me.

"The doctor will be here shortly."

I nodded, and just as she left, a gray haired man walked in.

"Hi Robbie, I'm Dr. Morgan."

"Hi doctor." I replied politely.

"As you already know, we had to do a little surgery to repair your laceration, but we also had to tweak your back."

I nodded, and he continued.

"Looking at your file, I noticed that you went to Mercy for a exam and were diagnosed with a bulging disc and prescribed physical therapy?"

_Oh crap…_

"I was the operating doctor Robbie, and I have to ask, did you forget about the therapy?"

I sighed. "Yes sir, this summer was…crazy. I had a bone bruise, court appearances and…time got away from me. I haven't thought about it until you mentioned it now." I admitted, looking down.

"That's not a problem Robbie. If you were older, then yes, it would have been, but I was able to correct your issues. Now you will have to go to physical therapy this time, and I have an idea on how to remind you."

"What's that?" I asked.

"We have text alerts." He smiled, wiggling his pear phone.

"Nice."

"Any questions?"

"Yeah, how long will I be here?"

"Another 2 days at best. You're back is still tender, and the laceration was—"

There was a sudden knock on the door. He peered out, furrowed his eyes and turned back to me.

"Anyway, hope you're feeling better…" He said, fleeing the room.

_I wonder why he would…Cat._

She walked in slowly, not taking her eyes off the floor. She looked terrible to be honest. No nail polish, plain shoes and jeans, even her hair seemed to be dulled a bit. The only thing I noticed she had on that wasn't necessary was…

_The ring._

_Oh my._

She looked up at me, who was looking back. She had tears running down her cheeks and took in all of the machines and then howled and dove towards the corner.

She sat there, crying, rocking against the wall, facing away from me. She suddenly started speaking.

"It's all my fault, I killed him. It's all my fault, I killed him." Over and over and over.

It quickly reached past the point of annoying and made me furious.

"It's all my fault, I killed him. It's all my fault, I killed him. It's all my fault, I killed him. It's my fault, I killed —" as she rocked back and forth, looking on the verge of insanity.

_This is stopping._

"CAT!" I yelled as loud as I could.

She froze, hands wrapped around her knees.

"STOP. Now. I'm here, I'm ok. Now get over here." I ordered, gesturing towards the seats still surrounding my bed.

She quickly stood up and walked over, not looking up from the floor. She plopped herself in the farthest chair and didn't look up."

"No…right here." I said, gesturing to the chair that Jade sat in and was closest to me.

She obeyed, but didn't look up. I looked at her wrists, and the left one had a bandage. She was sitting, but had retreated instinctively as far away as possible, turning on her side and facing the other way.

I grabbed her undamaged wrist and turned her to face me. She was shaking under my grip.

"Are you ok?"

Her gaze remained on the floor. She nodded.

"Do you need a hug?"

She shook her head. I grabbed her anyway.

She went stock still, as I put my head against hers. "I'm ok. Believe me girl. It's not your fault, you're fine."

She started loosening up, but still had her arms at her side.

She mumbled something, but I didn't hear it.

"What?" I asked.

"You hate me."

"No. No, no, no, no, no. Cat, sweetie, I told you. I can't hate you. I can only love you. Sure, you wish you could have acted different, but hey, nothing would have changed. They were waiting for us. For you. I was collateral damage."

"Don't say that." She mumbled, clear enough to hear.

"Cat." I said sternly, gently pulling her chin up to look at me.

The moment she looked at me I kissed her softly. All she did was be there. Didn't move an inch.

I separated from her, and the floodgates finally failed. "ROBBIE!" She wailed, collapsing into my arms.

"It's ok sunshi —"

"I was talking and you were back there, and I yelled at you and…and…and"

"Shh…" I said, as she cried out and put her head into my chest.

We stayed like that for a moment, and a nurse peeked in. I gave her the thumbs up sign and she returned it and left.

"Cat, I feel so bad for you, I failed you, and I'm sorry."

"Robbie…" She sobbed. "I just kept on blabbing away until I heard you hit the sidewalk and they were right there and I just ran! I didn't turn back to help you or anything…" She banged her head into my leg.

I forcefully grabbed her head. "That was exactly the right thing to do. I was beyond help, you needed to run, who knows what they would have done to you."

Cat's face went to one of horror. Which is how I felt, since there wasn't a doubt in my mind about what they were going to do.

"So you don't hate me?" She asked, wiping her eyes.

"Why would I hate you?" I wondered.

"I dated them."

"And your point is?" I asked.

Silence. "…I don't know."

I pulled her into a hug. "I tried to warn you, but his hand was over my mouth and I couldn't breathe get out even a 'RUN!'".I sobbed, betraying my attempts of calm.

"Michael said he was going to…"

She stopped short, and started crying again. Bu this time it was controlled. I gently hugged her again.

"I know. And I can't repay you for what happened. I should have stopped them somehow. You saw me fall, then he ran after you, and you got away. I just got stabbed and passed out. You got the worse end of the deal."

She looked at me. I mean really looked at me. I saw my face reflecting in her soft brown eyes. Then she had her lips on me.

"That'll never happen again. Not while I'm around sunshine. Promise." I whispered as she cried into my shirt.

"I believe you. I feel so bad about what I said." She whispered.

"You have to forgive yourself. I didn't cause this, and neither did you. Just let it go." I told her.

"What about my wrist and your back?"

"Reminders about what happened, but you can't wallow in them. Just gotta keep moving and living."

She finally looked semi-composed and leaned her head onto mine.

"Is this what you meant when you said they could come after you?"

Whatever I was expecting, that sure wasn't it. I blinked and had to gather my thoughts.

"No, I wasn't expecting for them to attack like this."

"Robbie, thank you so much." She whispered.

"No problem." I smiled. "It's my job." 


	16. The Last Straw

I sighed contentedly as Sikowitz droned on with his lecture on Eastern European Gestures. To my immediate right was Cat, wrist still bandaged, but otherwise uninhibited.

She sighed and leaned onto my shoulder. I smiled softly, and one quick glance down confirmed my suspicion that it was returned.

Unfortunately, with our little run in with Michael and Colton, we lost any opportunity to be in that 19th century knight play. Shame, it seemed like it was a lot of fun. It was thrilling just to be in the audience when they put it on. The climactic scene had Andre and Beck tight roping the castle wall as it was burning. Some junior girls were their respective love interests, and I have to say, they were the worst part. Makes me wonder if they are going to destroy the place next year.

Sorry, anyway eventually Beck knocked Andre off the wall to his demise and it ended with the Hollywood kiss. That was Cat's favorite part of the show, I liked the fighting myself.

I did end up getting out of the hospital two days later, and stayed at Cat's since I needed "doctor supervision" in the night. Cat hates this, she claimed it's because I was away from her at night, while I think it's that plus Cat and her parents just arguing.

Lucky for me, that interaction in the ICU really convinced Cat that she wasn't to blame. She has stuck really close to me though, sits with me every day at lunch and Sikowitz. It's like she's attached herself to me with Velcro. Every time we separate, she lets out a quiet little whimper like a puppy.

I had a suspicion that the emotional trauma of that night was going to linger, and that isn't the worst of it. A couple of nights ago, the first night I got to go back home she came over, crying and saying she had a dream, but like the car accident one, I didn't live.

_Buzz Buzz_ That's my phone.

_Physical Therapy today 4- Dr. Morgan._

I groan. I was hoping I could go have some kind of fun tonight. Dang it! The last week has been full of appointments and therapy and has thoroughly sucked.

"What's wrong?" Cat whispered softly into my ear.

"I have to go to therapy at 4 today." I replied. It was met by a distasteful groan, and she put her forehead onto my shoulder.

"Why does everything have to separate us?"

"That's how life is sweetie." I replied.

"I wish I could just cuddle with you in bed for the rest of my life. I would be happy."

I smiled, but that was short lived.

"Cat! Robbie! Separate!" Sikowitz yelled.

"Why?" Cat shot back.

"You guys make me jealous, now move."

She made a movement to stand, but I yanked her back down to sit. I shook my head. Feeling the room looking at me, I grabbed my stuff and sat across the room, pointedly frowning at Sikowitz whenever he looked at me the rest of the period.

Lucky for him, the bell rung and I quickly got out of there. I swear, as soon as I got past the doorway and before I could have said "Hey Cat" she had me by the arm. We headed over to the Asphalt Café and after picking up lunch sat up top in the seniors section.

Everyone made conversation for a while until Sinjin suddenly made himself known with a megaphone.

"Uhh…Hi! Is this thing working?"

"A little too well!" Jade yelled. I smiled.

"Thanks. Anyway, I was hoping someone would help me out with the fact that nobody has asked if I—"

"No." Jade said, throwing a banana at him, while leaving her mango alone.

The banana hit Sinjin in the shoulder, causing him to fall and for the megaphone to fall down to a broken death near the parking lot.

The rest of us watched, semi amused. I was wondering—

"Why didn't you throw the mango?" Tori asked.

_Exactly._

"I like mangoes. Sinjin isn't worthy of being hit by a mango." Jade replied.

We fell back into a comfortable silence. Andre was the only one not eating, sipping a smoothie and writing music notes on his laptop and testing them out.

Suddenly, Beck spoke up. "You know what?"

"Can't say I do." Cat replied, face completely emotionless.

"What?" Andre asked, looking up from the laptop.

"We need to just hang out one day after school. No college searches or work or anything. Just go somewhere and hang. You know what I mean?" He said, looking around for support.

Surprisingly, it was Jade that spoke next. "That sounds nice, like a de-stress time."

"I'm in." Tori said, as Andre nodded.

Beck looked to me. " You know I'm always available to just hang out." He smiled.

The bell rung and a brainwave hit me. Mind you, I still had Cat on my arm when it started, so most of this came to me in 5th period.

_I know why Cat isn't leaving my side. It's her way of not leaving me. She thinks she left me to die and is afraid that Michael and Colton will materialize if she leaves me to try to finish me off._

The thought stays with me until 7th.

Buzz, Buzz.

_Hey, can you pop by Cat's and take her home?-Jade_

I replied_ "Sure."_ And messaged Cat._ "Ride home?"_

_Please? (Adorable face) xo-Cat'_

I smiled._ Sure._

Sure enough, to no surprise at all, she was already in the car by the time I got there. If I didn't give her a key, she might have pulled a Jade and picked the lock, like Jade did when I forgot my key a few weeks back.

"Hey sweetie, good day?" I asked, as I shut the door. She quickly gave me a tight hug.

"Better now." She whispered.

I smiled, and started towards her house. She was oddly quiet.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec sunshine?" I asked.

"Sure."

"Not that I don't like it, but why are you always holding onto me when we're together?"

She frowned slightly, but didn't look close to tears as normally she did. "I…don't want to lose you."

"That's what I thought." I replied, causing her to look at me funny.

"Huh?"

"Hey, you can do what you want, but know this. You aren't going to lose me. That was a freak thing. I'll be more prepared next time, if there is one."

Little does she know how much better prepared I'll be when they come around next time, which I know is coming.

"Hopefully I'll never have to find out." She said darkly, causing me to look at her in surprise.

I looked up to find myself in her driveway already. "Agreed. Hey, text me, I'll need it after therapy." I laughed, trying to loosen her up.

"Ok." She smiled, then kissed my cheek and got out.

As I predicted, physical therapy was the worst part of my week. I got reprimanded for forgetting to leave my phone in the car, had to take it out there, and then they made me act like a pretzel to "stretch the vertebrae". More like attempt to kill me! Then they made me do some yoga type thing for the muscles.

Once I got to the car, I collapsed and didn't move for like 10 minutes. I'm not even kidding. I grabbed my phone, hoping to see a text from Cat. I got a text from a Valentine, but it isn't Cat.

_Robbie, need you to come to my house plz- David V._

Confused, I obey and drive to his house. Once I pull in I notice Cat's SUV is gone.

_Weird…_

"Robbie!" Mr. Valentine greeted cheerfully.

"Hi! How are you?" I replied.

"Good, we need to talk about Cat."

"Ok…" I said as he shut the door behind him. I briefly thought I heard Cat's mom yelling, but I brush the thought away.

"I have to be honest with you, and that starts with something I picked up on early on."

I nodded for him to continue.

"You know my wife and I's relationship with Cat isn't normal."

Again I nodded.

"You don't like my wife or me do you?"

He said be honest. "Not really, you are too harsh and unloving."

"I expected that. And you are right. Not to make excuses, but much of that is my wife."

Now he's got me mad. "That doesn't excuse all the jokes." I snap.

"Very true."

Now he's got me going. "Why do you treat her like that? She deserves better."

"My wife…she was a competitive breath holder when she was pregnant with Cat. That may be why she is the way she is."

"She's perfect." I reply sharply.

"When Caterina was born…she was a handful. She tended to wake up late at night and refuse to go to sleep. She wasn't what my wife was expecting out of her daughter. They are complete opposites personality wise."

"She hates Cat, and for no reason at all."

"That is true."

"That makes you look worse sir."

He rubbed his hands on his neck. "Son…my daughter can be a handful…you probably know that. But you see a side that we don't. She loves you. We aren't the best parents, and we know that. But she is unprepared for the real world."

"I am as well! What are you saying?" I asked hotly.

"I think it would be best for all involved if Cat moves in with you for the rest of the year."

_My mind just went numb. They are handing my red haired angel to me on a silver platter._

"For you obviously, but I can't be a parent to her! That's your job! And you are abandoning your posts at her most critical hour!" I yell.

"Robbie, it would be what is best for Cat."

"How would you know? You don't love her like I do!"

"I can't, but that's beside the point. Do you want her or not?"

"Of course I want her. I promised her that I would do anything for her. Including let her live with me."

He was silent.

"When can I get her stuff?" I say quickly.

"By the end of the week."

"Thank you." I say acidically.

"Robbie."

"Robert. I'm sorry. But facts are facts. Your wife hates her only daughter. Your only daughter. The best thing I've ever seen in my life. You abandoned her, and I'm going to make sure she looks back and is happy."

"I understand how you feel." He said, looking mollified.

"NO!" I yelled. "You don't. You never will. Have you ever considered that your wife is the problem?"

"Don't talk about my wife that way Robbie."

"I will after hearing you talk about cat like that. How dare you! So what that she is a little weird, or immature, or not as smart or NOT YOUR WIFE'S CLONE? Who gives a damn honestly? You should still love her." I yell right at him.

"Robbie. That's why I'm giving her to you. You can do better than I can. I love Cat, I really do. But hearing my wife talk…it rubs off. And she deserves you more than her own parents do."

In the back of my mind, I guess I'm pleased. But there's an ocean of anger between that and my consciousness.

"I'll be back on Thursday to get her stuff." I said, leaving him in the driveway as I hop back into my car and drive off.

I speed home to find Cat in my room, with Mr. Longneck watching TV, somehow, through all the hate and anger, still smiling.

"Hey sunshine." I say softly as I stand in the doorway.

She turns around and runs to me. She obviously was waiting for me. She jumps into my arms and starts crying profusely.

"I…I don't know what to say sweetheart. I really don't." I hoarsely say.

"She hates me. She called me a stupid whore. I hate her!"She shrieked, clutching to me tighter.

"You aren't Cat. Your mother is…" I cut myself off.

"Say it, I really don't care." She told me, looking up at me.

"An amazingly stupid woman who neglected the world's best girl. I am sad you have a mom like that, but I promise you that you always have a place with me, and I'm sure my parents will offer you Kimberly's room. After I talk to them tomorrow."

"Robbie…I—"

"Cat, you don't have to say thank you. I told you when I gave you the ring that I would always be there for you and love you. It's going to be tough at times, but I still will love you ok?"

"Will I have to go back?"

"Never, if you don't want to. You're 18. You could walk up to their house and yell obscenities if you wanted on a megaphone. Legally, you're an adult."

"Technically, the other night, I raped you." She bluntly said.

"Cat…you know. I was more than willing. And that makes it love."

She sighed and snuggled into me.

"One thing. Please never say that again."

"What?" She asked.

"Raped."

"Ok."

We both were quiet. "Robbie, will you go out with me?"

I take my head off her shoulder and blink. "But…I thought we were already going out."

"Well, remember the compromise?"

"Of course, it's the best one I ever made." I smiled.

"Well, the 6 months was up yesterday. That's why all this happened today. I went and told my parents I was going to ask you out. My mom started going off on how bad a girl I was, saying I had given myself to 3 boys, and that I didn't deserve you. We yelled and screamed and she called me names and I left. Came here."

"Cat…" I say softly, hugging her tightly. "I would love to go out with you. Now where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere with youuu." She smiled, finally showing her dimple.

"Ok then, off to get Pizza!" I yell, running to the car with her still clinging to me.

"YAY!"


	17. The Future

Well, we're all hanging out, like we planned. The only "problem" if you would call it that, is Cat's sudden change of address.

Jade and Beck are on the couch, while Tori is currently digging through my freezer for her Fro-Yo and Andre is sitting by the fireplace in my living room.

I just finished telling them what happened between Cat and her parents. Cat would be telling the story, but she's at the doctor's office for her wrist.

One quick note, I did speak to Cat's father later last night. He said that it would only be fair to pay for her staying there. He sent along a spreadsheet of her usual expenses, saying that he'd deposit $4000 a week, so she could not have to worry about a lack of money. When I told cat this morning she immediately offered it to me saying 'Robbie, you dad works with money, have him do something with some of it.'

Actually, not a bad idea. I'll talk to him about it after the more pressing issue, which is my friends.

Not surprisingly, Jade spoke up first. "Well, I knew Cat and her mom didn't get along, but she sounds completely horrible behind closed doors!"

"Who does and says stuff like that to someone?" Tori exclaimed.

"Especially Cat!" Beck added emphatically, causing jade and Tori's eyebrows to rise up.

"C'mon…she's so sweet and innocent. Who in their right mind would want to yell at her?"

"Nobody, my theory is that the four people that hate her have mental problems." I commented calmly.

"4?" Andre asked.

"Mom, Dad, Michael, Colton." I said ticking off one finger per name.

Everyone made a "oh yeah." noise.

"So she's staying here?" Tori asked, getting back on topic.

"Yup. Her dad is bringing her stuff over tomorrow."

"Well, she doesn't have to stay here." Jade said quickly.

"I want to."

We all turned to see Cat, newly bandaged walking into the room. "Maybe I can go somewhere else for like sleepovers, but I want to be here."

Everyone else looked like they didn't know quite what to say.

"Uhhh…ok." Jade spluttered out.

Cat picked up on the awkwardness. "Is something the matter?"

Tori immediately hopped up and said "No Cat, I…" She pulled cat into a hug.

"Sorry about your parents…" Andre finished for everyone as they too hugged Cat.

Cat seemed on the verge of tears because of everyone's support.

"Aww…Cat." Tears started to fall as Cat quickly wiped them away while Tori spoke. "Don't cry."

Cat croaked "I was afraid you weren't going to like it…" She sobbed, hugging Tori tightly.

Jade and Beck exchanged a clandestine look that clearly showed they weren't thrilled.

_Sucks for them, this isn't changing._

"I'm just happy you're alright." She told Cat.

The gang hugged Cat again, then she retreated to wipe off her makeup.

"Does she know we don't care?" Beck asked me.

"I think so, but she still wants to look nice." I replied.

She came back into the room sniffling, and I wrapped my arms around her as we talked about what was going on. Andre was thinking about getting back into the DJ scene after a few athletes had requested he do a big birthday party. Beck was finally getting started on his community service, so he's about 30 hours behind me. Tori is thinking about making what used to be Trina's room into a recording studio now that she's in college. Jade admitted after much persuasion that she's going out on what will be her 4th date with a guy. She refused to name a name or give details, despite Beck's insistent badgering that at one point actually got her smiling shyly. I'm glad they're succeeding in being friends after breaking up.

On to college plans, which originally was a forbidden topic today. Cat got us in on it, so I'm blaming her. Hollywood Arts has a partnership with California Theatrical College, and all students are automatically accepted. Everyone has that as a backup, in case they're prospects in music, acting or parties in Andre's case doesn't look good right out of HA. Pretty sweet deals.

To no surprise, Tori and Cat plan on juggling music and acting, trying to hit it big. Not surprising is that Tori prefers music. What was surprising was that Cat wants to do the same. That really surprised me, but she has the voice.

Beck and Jade are focusing on acting, while Andre is thinking, say _thinking_ about starting a company, offering his DJ services and being a music producer on the side.

They quickly asked me what I want to do. Thing is, I really don't know. I'm not great at acting, and my book is in production, to use a movie term but I don't know if I can make a living off of it. But everyone threw out a intriguing idea. I handled the music negotiations pretty well, so why not be a agent?

Not bad, but CTC doesn't do that. USC does, and so does UCLA but they aren't CTC and I could try to get into theater there too, but…I don't know. I'm gun shy. I'd be leaving my comfort zone, And I'm not good at that.

One thing I love about my friends is how we can ask the tough questions and with the occasional exception of cat, take it well and answer honestly. It makes us stronger and we're very close because of that. Everyone hugs Cat as they leave and as soon as we got together and—

RIIIIIINNNNNNNNNG!

That's the landline phone. I messaged my parents saying we need to talk today. Cat picks up and greets them and I hop on the line. After exchanging greetings my dad gets right to it.

"So what is it you want to talk to us about?"

"I'll let you guys talk." Cat said.

"No, Cat, stay. This involves you." I said sternly.

"It does?" My mom said, surprised.

"Yeah. Remember how I said I wasn't big fans of Cat's parents?"

"Uh huh." Dad said.

"Well, it reached a breaking point. I was heading home from therapy and her father asked me to come over. He basically kicked cat out by offering to me."

"You're KIDDING?" Dad yelled.

"Nope."

"Cat, I'm so sorry sweetheart." Mom jumped in.

"Me too."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, I offered to let her stay here."

"That's GREAT!" Mom exclaimed, and my dad chuckled.

"Thanks Mrs. Shapiro." Cat said shyly.

"I was going to ask if she could stay here until school ends and you guys get back."

"Sure son, that sounds smart. Cat, you can stay as long as you don't have a place to call home." Dad said reassuringly.

"So whay happened for her to get kicked out?"

"My mom and I don't really like each other." Cat told them.

"What about your father sweetie?" Mom asked.

"He claimed he loves her but it rubs off."

"Bullshit." My dad spat.

"Andrew!" My mom screeched. I had to stifle a laugh.

"I basically told him that. He replied by offering her to me."

"I'm going to have to visit them when we get back." My mom said darkly.

"What about your clothes and stuff? I know you have some stuff here but still…" Dad trailed off.

"What about Kimberly's room? You can put some stuff in there while she gets her own place over Christmas."

"She's getting a place?" I asked, surprised.

"Yep." Dad replied.

"That sounds nice Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro, thank you so much."

"No problem at all Cat, we love you, never forget that." Dad told her.

"Maybe we should come home early in May?"

"No!" Cat and I both said quickly.

Both of my parents laughed. "Ok…we get it! It's ok that you're still sleeping together." Dad said cheerily.

"Uhhh..." I said. Cat was silent.

"We might be able to come for Christmas." Mom said evenly.

"That sounds nice." Cat said calmly. I heard my parents stifle laughs.

"Ok, so Christmas is cool?"

"Yeah." I told them. A buzzer went off in the background.

"We have to go before we miss dinner." Dad said abruptly.

"Nice talking to you two and I can't wait to see you sweetheart."

"Ok Mom." I said.

"I was talking to Cat." She replied.

"Oh…" I said as Cat and my dad started laughing riotously in the background.

"Talk to you guys later."

"Bye."

"Bye!" Cat said cheerily. I hung up the phone only to Cat walking back int the room and burst out laughing again.

"It's not that funny." I said darkly, but smiling.

"It really is."

"Ok sunshine, dinner and a Movie on this fine Wednesday?" I said confidently, offering my hand.

"Are you asking me out?" She said, smiling.

"Yes."

She grabbed my hand and looped her hand around me and I did the same as we walked to the car.

Cat fiddled with the radio until she bumped into the new song by Gym Class Heroes "Stereo Hearts."

"Furthermore, I apologize for any skipping tracks this, the last girl that play me left a couple cracks. I used to used to used to used to, now I'm over that cause holding grudges over love is ancient artifacts."

She banged her head and sang along, hitting the notes perfectly. I found myself staring at how amazing she pulled it off.

"What?" She asked.

"You're doing amazing, I love it." 

She smiled, dimple and all and kept going. We pulled into the parking lot before the song ended and I got to properly watch her jam out.

_She is amazingly talented. How did I not notice before?_

We talked about music over dinner. Turns out, she and Jade share some favorites. Like Adele, Madonna and Lady Gaga. I'm okay with it, not crazy about them with the exception of the occasional Gaga song.

We decided to see Harry Potter again, since we weren't crazy about anything else. We grabbed some popcorn and our normal seat and waited for the movie.

Cat snuggled herself to me and smiled. "Robbie?" 

"Yeah?"

"This is the best date ever? How many more are we gonna go on?"

"As many as you want. And thanks, I'm glad you're having fun."

"We might go out every night for a week." She smiled at me, looking devious.

I laughed and smiled at her, while kissing her cheek. "That sounds like fun." 

"Yay."

_There's that smile…_

(A/N: Ok guys, first off, thank you so much for all the support and reviews and twitter shout outs and…I can't name it all. Just thank you so much. I have a big announcement. Not as big as Ariana's yesterday (The album! And a single! OMG!) but big for you guys. There is going to be a part three to this story. No, you didn't just hallucinate. I'm doing my own Cabbie Series, kind of like Hunger Games in a way. No, that isn't a spoiler, just a comparison. Can't wait for feedback and thanks again!)


	18. A day in the life of Caterina

Cat POV

_Blink. Blink._

Yay! Another night gone, one closer to a life with Robbie. That's how I'm taking things nowadays. It's all Robbie, Robbie, Robbie. I owe him so much, for loving me with all my problems and giving me a place to stay.

That isn't even counting…them. I try not to think about it. They almost got me and hurt him.

"_I'm going to make you a real woman tonight you slut."_

I shiver involuntarily. I suppress a desire to hug Robbie. He worries too much about me. I just want to be an awesome girlfriend. The less worry the better.

"_I love him!"_

"_You don't know love you slut! You left him 3 times, and came crawling back to him. What kind of a man doesn't move on? He's a loser!"_

"_Stop it! You don't know him!"_

"_Look at him! Jewish, glasses and that hair? He should get a make over, but then he would be the better looking one."_

"_I like him the way he is!" I yell in her face._

This time I hug Robbie tightly, trying to thank him silently through the hug.

He suddenly rolls over, and for a moment I'm afraid he woke up. It's like 4 AM, and I can't sleep.

His face is now facing me. He looks exhausted. He works too hard I think. He should just relax for a week and be with me the entire time. He is always happy when we go out on Wednesdays.

_Don't be selfish Cat; he can have fun on his own. Remember, he and Jade are close._

More and more I find myself battling myself about how much I hang out with Robbie. I don't want to burden him, but don't want to be a cold shoulder either.

Phoo, this is tough.

Robbie mumbles something about "Wednesday" under his breath and shifts slightly. Wednesday's my favorite day of the week; Robbie is always mine for at least one night. Plus, movies! Two of my favorite things, Robbie and movies.

The school doesn't know I moved, otherwise Lane would be over in a heartbeat. I don't like him. I feel like screaming at him whenever I see him.

_No, that's mean. Cat isn't mean._

I kiss Robbie softly and try to go back to sleep. Usually I am out quickly when I lay on Robbie, but not tonight. The memories of Michael keep washing over me.

I blink to find that I've been crying. I didn't even notice. I wipe my eyes on the sheets, and whisper to nobody.

"Why am I so messed up?"

With that in mind, I get a jump on the day by taking a shower. I like the shower. The water calms me down, and I feel happy. It's like bathing in a warm cloud.

After the shower I do something I don't do much. I cook breakfast. I'm not all that great, but I didn't burn anything and afterward I go into the living room to watch TV.

_OOH! Yay! Girly Cow is on! The early show too! _

It's one of my favorite episodes. Girly Cow is a funny show, but Mom and Dad always thought that it was dumb. I think it's funny, plus the international following it has, they are wrong. It was the highest rated show on cable a couple months back when it premiered a new episode. There hasn't been a new one in a while, I wonder why?

I burst out laughing at the explosion causing Robbie to jump.

_Robbie!_

"Robbie!" I yell, catapulting myself at him.

_Get it "Cat" apultuing? It's funny! Laugh! C'mon! You know you want to!_

"Morning Cat? Did you sleep well?"

_I freeze. I don't want to lie, but I don't want to say I woke up so early._

"That bad huh?" He says, rubbing my back and looking displeased.

I just stand there as Robbie finds the breakfast I cooked.

"Sweetheart, you didn't have to do this…thank you so much!" He says, returning to hug me and kiss me softly.

"No problem." I squeak out, smiling.

_Since when did I get so nervous being around Robbie?_

I shake off the thought as I talk to Robbie over breakfast. We turned in a paper for English a few days ago and we're in agreement that the Wicked Witch of the West will assign another if not today than tomorrow. I would prefer today. So I can work on it before the weekend.

"Don't forget, we're moving some of your stuff in today." Robbie said as we got in the car. I gasped. I completely forgot.

Now I don't want that paper.

Usually I don't want to leave Robbie, and today is worse. We have to immediately separate and hurry off to avoid being late.

_Yay! Costume Design was awesome. I finally fixed my double stitch screw up from last Monday. What kind of knot causes you to stop work for an entire week? I finally got to start on a ruffle. Robbie should love my new skirt. It's going to look so cute!_

_And now I'm off to Sikowitz and Robbie! Yay! Hugs for everyone! Today is going awesomely!_

I walk into Sikowitz to see all the chairs by Robbie occupied by puppets. I turn to stare at Sikowitz.

"Ah! Cat! Please come with me. Lane asked me to take you to his office."

Robbie doesn't look happy. My heart sinks. _It's my fault._

Sikowitz doesn't let go of my arm until he shuts the door behind me and I'm trapped. I don't like being trapped.

"So Cat, I just got a call from your mother. Apparently you aren't living with her anymore?" Lane asked, back to me.

"No, I'm not. It's her fault."

"Cat, we've been over this. You can't always blame someone else for your problems or mistakes." He said, turning to me.

"It's not me! She hates me!" I yell, frustrated.

"Your mother doesn't hate you. You're her only daughter. She definitely loves you."

"Well, you're wrong!"I yell at him.

"Cat. There's no need to yell."

"Sorry." I say meekly.

"What happened?"

"Well, Robbie went out on our first date and—"

"What do you mean first date? You have been going out now for almost 5 months!" Lane asked, sounding shocked.

"We had a compromise! We wouldn't go out for a while and I finally asked him!"

"Ok, moving on."

"I went to tell my parents and my mom flipped out, saying that he doesn't love me and a whole bunch of stuff I can't say here."

"Why not?" He asked, leaning forward.

"You said not to say those words." I mumbled, fiddling with my hands.

"Cat, we both know you need to stop hiding behind Robbie and make up with your mother. I shouldn't have to tell you that."

I'm speechless. How can he not believe me? Tears spring right to my eyes. I'm not a liar.

_I lied to Robbie at Prome._

"—you can do it. It takes a little patience. Family makes us all crazy."

Riiiing! I start towards the door

"Cat. We're not done." Lane said sternly.

"What else?" I asked, sounding innocent and carefree, but actually am seething.

"What are your college plans?"

I explained how I wanted to sing and act rather than do any more formal school.

Once I finished he frowned. "Cat, I'm not so sure that is a wise plan."

"Why not?" I say.

"I've never heard you sing and you don't take acting seriously."

"I DO TOO! How do you know that anyway? You've never been on stage!" I yell.

"I have." He pointed to a picture on the wall. No, it's a piece of paper.

Hollywood Arts Class of 1999.

"Oh." I say quietly.

"Now, lets get serious about after you leave here…"

We started talking about that stuff. I mainly just say yes to everything. I'm not doing the college thing. I know what I'm good at, and he's not going to change my mind.

Riiiing!

"Aw man! I missed lunch!" I said loudly.

"It's ok, we can eat together and then get you off to class." Lane said, standing.

I didn't eat much as he continued to go on and on and on about college. Then he got on me for not eating. Sorry, the last thing I feel like doing now is eating.

After what seemed like forever I finally got to my last class. I eagerly checked my phone to see 1 new message.

_Hey sunshine, hope things with Lane went ok. Jade and Tori are taking you to the mall to shop while we get your stuff moved in. Love you sunshine :)- Robbie_

Not what I wanted. I just want Robbie, and I get shopping.

_Figures._ And Ms. Clarke gave us that paper. Talk about a bad day.

At the mall with Tori and Jade we did a lot of window shopping. And ate. Yeah, mostly snacked on Fro-Yo. I'm not in the shopping mood, even though the new purses at 'OOH!' look cute.

We finally were in a shop I liked when Tori got a message from Robbie saying they were done. They dragged me out, wondering why I wanted to stay despite me saying I liked the tops.

When Tori pulled up to the house, the truck was pulling out.

_Weird…I thought they were done._

The second I stepped inside, I saw it was messy. There was a blue tarp on the wood floor near the living room and a big scratch on the wall.

The next thing I see almost makes me cry right here. Robbie had a picture of us on the beach out in the hallway. The glass was broken and sat on the table next to his room. I peek in to see nothing. I peek into his sister's room to see…

_Whoa…_

It's…like he recreated my room here. My bed is against the wall and dressers on each side and…Robbie messing with the dresser.

"Hi…" I say, looking around my room.

_My room. At Robbie's. The thought just makes me smile._

He turned with a shirt in his hands.

_He's putting away my clothes…_

"Hey girl…do you like it?" He asked, sounding unsure.

"I love it. It looks like you transplanted it from home."

"I want you to be comfortable, so what better way to do that then give you your room how you want it?" He smiled.

I can't put how I feel into words, so I resort to hug him. He put the shirt down and hugged me back, eventually lifting me up and spinning me around slowly.

He put me back down and kissed my hair. "At the end of the day, what I want most is for you to be happy."

"Thank You. You don't have to do all this." I murmur into his chest.

"I want to. You are worth everything to me. You always say you have 'problems'. I don't care. Just be happy. Everything else is one gigantic cupcake." He whispered.

"But—"

"Shhh…" He said, holding me tighter.

Once I reluctantly let him go I put in a few solid hours on the dumb research project with Robbie's Pearpad. I think it was productive, and at least I was comfortable on Robbie's bed. I don't think it's too late to go say hi, but—AAH! It's 8 o' clock!

I quickly walk into the office area to see Robbie typing away furiously. Looking over his shoulder I can see he's typed at least 4 pages already and pushing a 5th! His work ethic has always amazed me.

"Hey." He said quickly, turning around.

"AAAHH!" I jump into his lap. "I wasn't expecting you to hear me."

He smiled. "Dinner?"

"Ok."

Tonight we went a little exotic and went to some kind of grill place. They cooked the dinner right in front of us. It was so nice.

Finally, we settled in and watched some TV. I forget what we're watching…but it's nice to have Robbie to myself. I hate days like this that I don't get to see him much. He just looped his arm around me, which usually means he's pretty comfortable and relaxing finally…..

Next thing I know, I'm up in the air.

_Oh my god, what's happening? Where am—_

_Never mind…Robbie taking me to bed. I apparently fell asleep._

He softly laid me on his bed and kissed my cheek. "So cute…"

I finally open my mouth sleepily to say "Where am I?" even though I know the answer. I guess my brain and mouth aren't working together.

"Home. You're home cupcake."


	19. Reunion

I breathed deeply, enjoying the smells of my house a few days before Christmas. School let out two days ago, and I found out Christmas is Cat's favorite season. Personally, I would have bet Easter with all the eggs and Easter Bunny, but I happened to be something else entirely. WRONG!

Anyway, remember how I was complaining or lamenting how little I actually knew about her? Goodbye! A few random things she loves:

-Kicking in her sleep. My Phys therapist isn't happy. Sucks for her.

-Staying in the shower for 30 + minutes singing Adele. I'm not kidding.

-She never kicked the Sky Store habit, she just doesn't buy anything. At least I can't find it if she's bought it.

-Watching iCarly is a religious experience for her. We set up a trip for them to come in Feb, when Seattle's weather is bad. Cat has ALREADY asked for autographs. Maybe I should be worried about her ditching me for Freddie…

Kidding! I'm in a good mood. Where else in America can you go out in shorts and a nice polo on December 21st? Only in California and Hawaii. And Hawaii is too far away to count.

The most obvious thing I've noticed about Cat in the 7 weeks we've been living together is that she's very festive. Halloween she bought an outfit and gave the neighborhood kids tons of candy. Thanksgiving she came home from her design class with a Pilgrim Hat for me and dress for her.

The second biggest thing, and not demeaning it at all is her singing. She seriously does it ALL THE TIME! I'm not complaining, everything she sings sounds amazing and beautiful, but it's amazing how her life playlist is so extensive.

"You ready sunshine?" I called out to my room. She was busy prepping to do our usual Wednesday night dinner and a movie thing.

She walked out in a stunning black dress that hugged her curves in all the right ways.

_Whoa…is that my girlfriend? How on earth did I get THAT?_

"I see you like it." She smirked, walking towards me.

"Uhhh." I fumbled out.

"Good. Let's go."

I walked to the door and moved to open it, only to have it swing out and whack me right in the FACE! It also knocked me right to the floor.

_What the…_

"Robbie! Are you ok?" Cat yelled, rushing to me, heels clattering he whole way.

"WE'RE HOME!" Dad yelled out.

_Oww…wait…we're home?_

"EEEP! HI!" Cat exclaimed, hopping up and hugging my mom.

"Hi kids. Hope everything is—Robbie, why are you on the floor?" Dad asked.

"The door hit me." I said, trying to shake the cobwebs out of my head. That really hurt, my front door isn't light.

Cat meanwhile seemed like a human pinball, moving quickly from Mom to Dad, hugging them tightly.

"Robbie!" Mom said as I slowly stood up, immediately hugging me tightly.

"Hi ma." I smiled.

Cat was continuing her pinball routine, running around. I don't even know where, but she was still for maybe 2 seconds?

"Hey Dad." I smiled.

"Hey son, good to see you." He smiled back, pulling me into a hug.

"It's so good to see youuuu" Mom smiled, hugging Cat again. "Wait, are we interrupting something?"

"Nah, we were about to do our Wednesday night dinner and a movie thing." I shrugged.

Mom quickly looked guilty. "Oh! We don't want to hold you guys up—"

"Mom, you're fine. Get in here, relax. This is YOUR house after all." I smirked.

"Yes it is. And it's nice you didn't demo the place." Dad quipped. "What up with the tarp?"

_Crap…_

The tarp was still here from Cat's move. _Stupid movers…_

"Oh yeah. I called you and left a message about that. Didn't you get it?" I asked.

"No."

"Oh, well the movers we hired to get Cat here were complete idiots, hate to say it. They knocked over a can of paint and scarred the flooring. I wanted to ask what you wanted to do about it. I didn't want to get it replaced, only to have you come home and say 'What the heck is this?'"

"I get it. Good call to wait, you have their information?" Dad asked, walking towards the tarp.

"Yeah. It's in your office. You might not want to—" I started just as he lifted up the tarp.

My mom cringed and my Dad swore loudly.

"Those F*&$%# IDIOTS!"

"ANDREW!" Mom yelled as Cat covered her ears and scampered over to me, looking frightened.

Sums it up pretty accurately actually.

"I'm calling them tomorrow. I'm not paying for that."

"Sorry." I said sheepishly.

"Not your fault. I like the paint though." He smiled softly at Cat. The paint was the same pink as her walls.

"OOH! Can we see your room?" Mom asked excitedly. Cat quickly went to her room happily.

Quick note, she does have a private side to her. She's very…intimate, but occasionally she does like to be alone. I'm cool with that. It's healthy.

Mom and Cat spent the next 10 minutes gushing about seemingly every aspect of her room. My dad and I were there for about 2 seconds, then looked at each other and suppressed our laughter. Dad bailed us out by offering to get the suitcases from the car.

They actually brought some stuff home early. Like their heavy coats they bought. Not needed. It wasn't all clothes. They brought some lamps, some things that looked like it was made out of silver and some really cool paintings.

"This is a recreation of Dali?" I asked, propping the painting, still carefully covered against the wall as Mom and Cat kept going on about her room.

"Yeah. Cool huh?" He smiled.

"Very." I have a soft spot for art. Don't know why.

We finished getting the stuff inside. We went outside to lock car up and to make sure we didn't forget anything.

Suddenly an arm was around my shoulder. I panicked and shook it off, turning with my fists raised to see my dad looking surprised.

"What? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah…it is now. I have a story to tell later." I said, trying to relax. I couldn't quite get rid of the feeling that ice plunged into my stomach.

"Ok…anyway, I'd like to talk for a sec if you don't mind." He said, leaning against Cat's SUV. "I can't believe this is hers…"

I laughed. "I know right?"

He chuckled. "As I said Robbie. I want to say thank you. Your mother and I felt obligated to give you a taste of the real world since we've been pretty well off. You have already exceeded expectations son. Neither of us can be more proud."

I look down shyly. My dad doesn't pay out many big compliments. This one is GIGANTIC.

"Thanks."

"I mean it Rob; you are doing excellent in school while having fun and taking control here at home. Not everyone my age can do that."

A moment passes. I start to think he's done when…

"She's a great girl."

_Sounds like Beck._

"Yeah." I smiled.

"When you first brought her home, your mother saw something interesting. Not just how random she was, which we correctly assumed would cause some bumps in the road."

"What did she see?"

"She watched how she looked at you. How she acted around you. You don't notice I bet, but she is always putting you first, and she saw how much Cat cared for you, which turned out to be love."

I look down again. This is very unlike my dad to say all of this stuff.

"I know she means everything to you. We know how that goes, since I met your mother in high school myself. That's why we're letting her stay here. She's yours Rob. Don't let her go. Ever."

"You got it." I said, looking back up to see him smiling proudly.

Suddenly Cat rushed out onto the porch and down to my father and I.

"C'mon! There isn't going to be a table!" She yelled, grabbing my arm and dragging me to my car.

"Where are you going?" Dad asked as my mom stepped outside as well.

"Chuy's!" I replied as Cat hopped in the passengers' side. Our Mexican restaurant. Best ever, hands down.

"OOH! That sounds great! I'm hungry honey, can we—" Mom asked excitedly

"No, we'll go somewhere else sweetie." Dad said, waving us away while grinning.

"Bye!" Cat yelled back as I pulled out. Mom and Dad both waved as I pulled out into the night.

"Your parents rule Robbie."

"They do don't they?" I smirked. She punched my arm softly and then laid her head on my arm.

"I forgot how nice it is to be hugged by a mom and dad." She said softly. My heart just shattered. She sounded close to tears.

"Cat…baby…I feel terrible. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Thank you Robbie." She said innocently.

"Why are you thanking me?" I wondered aloud.

"You're letting me live with you. You let me into your life with open arms. Most people are so guarded. Not you." She said, adding a kiss on the cheek to the end.

"Hey, if I hid from you of all people, I should go to a mental hospital." I reassured her.

"Did they ask about Michael and Colton?"

"No, I'll tell them tomorrow. Or some day not named Christmas." I smiled.

"OOH! I forgot! Christmas is coming! I haven't got any gifts!" She freaked out.

"You have some time cupcake. Relax." I said, pulling up to the restaurant.

Cat continued to go on about gifts while we walked in the door. The place looked packed, no seat as far as I could see. I was just about to ask for a table when—

"Right this was Mr. Shapiro." The host said, taking us back.

I frowned slightly, as Cat giggled. "Mr. Shapiro."

"How's that funny?"

"You always say Mr. Shapiro's your dad."

I rolled my eyes. "True."

The host showed us a table in the back, saying they'd be right with us.

"They had a table ready? There were people waiting!" Cat wondered as she glanced at the menu before putting it aside. I didn't even look, I know what I want.

"Hey Cat, Robbie. What can I get you guys?" Paul asked, coming up behind Cat. Paul's the owner, awesome guy. My parents have been coming for years and he saw me grow up, so he's like a family friend.

"Hey Paul, I'll have the nachos." I smiled.

"Same here." Cat piped up.

"Ok, 2 nachos, coming up." Paul smiled, taking the menus.

"Hey Paul?" I asked suddenly.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Why did we get a table so fast when people are waiting up there?"

He smiled suddenly. _This is gonna be good. Big practical joker._

"It's Wednesday. Movie night. Had a hunch you'd be stopping by." He answered, smiling and waving as he walked away.

"Wow, he's good." Cat said, sounding impressed.

"Should I be worried about getting predictable?" I asked her.

"No. Not at all. Paul's known you for years Robbie. He saw you in diapers for grief's sake. He knows you as good as anyone." Cat reassured me, grabbing my hand under the table and squeezing softly.

As always, the nachos were superb, and as we left I looked at the receipt.

_Wait, this should be a bigger total. Why_—_oh._

20% off. I saw something written on the back.

"I don't know if you remember, but you brought her in here 6 months ago today. So happy you guys are working out. Call if you need anything. Love, Paul :)"

He's the best. Will have to stop by his place and thank him. Probably will bring Cat too.

I tapped Cat on the shoulder, pointing to the receipt. She frowned at the total, and then flipped it over, and her face lit up.

"We need to thank him."

"Agreed, you wanna come?" I asked.

"Yeah, maybe I can hear a story about you when you were a baby!" She smiled widely while poking my stomach.

The movie was good, not much to report on. Can't wait for MI4 though! Cat's gonna drool over Tom Cruise, but I'll love the action; I'll just have to bring a poncho.

She fell asleep on the drive back again, so I had to carry her inside. My dad saw that and grabbed the door when I was walking up. He smiled as I walked straight into my room and laid her down.

"Have fun?" He asked softly as I went to close my car doors.

"Yeah, Paul gave us a 20 percent discount, so we were thinking about stopping by to say thanks."

"Sounds great. Glad you guys had fun." He smiled, bidding me farewell and left the room.

I grabbed a glass of water and looked out the window at the dark night. A quote from the Dark Knight sprung to my mind.

"The night is darkest just before the dawn. But I assure you, the dawn is coming."


	20. Lightbulb

The sunlight that had managed its way past the blinds hit me straight in the eyes.

_Nice good morning present._ I thought, shifting too easily to my left.

_Wait…where's Cat?_

I rub my eyes and see my Christmas present to Cat, which she loved. At least a part of it. A gigantic teddy bear that said "I love you" when you hug it. The rest was a gift basket full of her favorite kind of makeup and hygiene products. She's obsessed with that kind of thing.

Mom and Dad combined to get her some nice clothes from Italy. When I say nice, I mean beyond top of the line. It had to be $800 plus, at least. And a bunch of stuff. Man, they love her.

Cat didn't know what to get them so she asked, and they said just go to dinner, which was nice for the three of them. I didn't go because of therapy. Cat said it was nice just to chat with them without me around.

Not surprisingly, Mom and Dad freaked out when I told them about my latest trip to the ER. Mom kept going on about a bodyguard, while Dad suggested a better alarm system and bars on the windows. I nixed all ideas, saying we'll be fine, although Cat liked the idea of carrying a taser. I quickly derailed that train by saying you need a license to carry one. Thank goodness, the only thing that scares me more than losing her is her getting in a lot of trouble that she can't get out of.

After my shower, the only sad note of the last 2 days swept over me while I was looking at the Teddy Bear again.

_Cat didn't get me a Christmas present._

Weird, I know. I was surprised, but you should have seen my parents. They let the issue go, but I know it bugs them. Heck, it bugs me too! After all, why didn't she get me anything? I'm giving her a few extra days before asking why, but I don't want to talk about it.

When I reach the kitchen, I see Cat and my dad talking over coffee. The sight just wants to make me smile forever and fall down laughing at the same time. She fits so well with my parents it's amazing.

Just as I'm about to cover up Cat's eyes my mom yells out from the laundry room "ROBBIE! Your underwear just finished!"

I freeze with my hands parallel to Cat's ears. She and my dad burst out laughing. Just as I was going to retort she turned around.

"Your underwear is in the dryer." She giggled, going red.

"Yeah, yeah I heard…" I grumbled, going to pick it up.

"How'd that go?" Dad asked after I put the stuff away.

"Fine, thank you. And good morning."

"Morning." Dad said as Cat turned around in her seat and hugged my waist. "There's waffle batter next to the griddle if you want some."

"That sounds great thanks." I said, making my way towards the kitchen. I prepped two waffles and dug in the refrigerator for the syrup.

"Hey dad, do you know where the—"

"— Syrup is?" Cat finished as I pulled my head out of the fridge to her dangling the bottle teasingly in front of me.

"I do now." I smiled, taking the bottle from her and placed in on the counter while scoping out for my parents, who had suddenly disappeared. I seized the opportunity and quickly kissed Cat.

"Good morning." I smirked.

"It is now." She smiled back.

"Easy now you kids." My dad said sarcastically, seeing Cat still in my arms.

"We weren't doing anything." Cat said quickly.

"Yeah, you have no proof." I joked, raising my hands in a gesture of innocence.

"Robbie! The waffles!" Cat exclaimed, causing me to jump out of my skin and turn to see the edges slightly burnt.

Luckily, we managed to save the waffles thanks to some quick maneuvering and deft knife work. They were good, partly due to Cat insisting on making my last 2.

Once I finished, Cat went to wash up and search for something to do on my Pearpad. She loves that thing, I thought about buying her one for her birthday, then also at Christmas. I would have, but I kept on thinking back to how Cat played Akinator on my phone, although she had it on hers. Her Pearpad would gather dust while she used mine.

As I put my plate and silverware in the dishwasher I heard the door open behind me.

"Hey Robbie? Cat? You here?" Jade's voice yelled out.

"Yeah!" Cat yelled back, sounding like she was in the bathroom.

"Right he—OW!" I said, raising my head and hitting my head on the counter as I stood up.

I rubbed the back of my head as I saw Beck, Tori, Jade and Andre coming towards me.

"Hi…" I mumbled, shutting the dishwasher with far more force than necessary

"Where's Cat?" Tori asked, leaning on the counter.

"Bathroom, she should be coming out any minute." I replied.

Jade meanwhile, was focusing on the walls, where the paintings were in the process of being hung up.

"Where'd all this come from? You said you weren't going to—" she started.

"Jadelynn? Is that you?" My mom asked, poking her head in the room then quickly coming to hug her.

Meanwhile, Beck, Andre and Tori looked stunned. Beck leaned over to me.

"Jadelynn?"

"Her real name." I replied.

"Really?" Tori asked, looking shocked.

"Yeah." I smiled.

"Her parents even call her Jade though." Beck said distractedly, running his hands through his hair. "Don't get jealous on me, I did date her for awhile if you remember." He snapped at Tori, who looked mutinous.

"I know. She only lets my parents call her Jadelynn. I can't without getting glared at or punched." I smiled as Jade and my mom hugged happily and quickly engaged in conversation.

"One quick question if you don't mind Rob." Andre asked quickly, as if he was fearful Jade was going to turn around quickly.

"Sure, what's up?" I asked.

"How much different was she when you guys were little?"

"Totally different Jade West. When I met her again at Hollywood Arts, if I didn't recognize her and she hadn't told me her name I wouldn't think it was the same person." I confessed.

"Like?" Tori asked.

"She used to love 'My Little Pony.'"

The three of them burst out laughing, holding themselves up by the counter.

"You cannot be serious." Beck choked out.

"Oh, it's true. And what's even better is that I have a picture she drew of her riding one."

They all collapsed on the floor laughing. They were so loud Jade and my mom looked over in fright.

"What on earth is so funny?" Mom asked.

"Nothing Mrs. Shapiro." Tori said quickly before falling back into her laughter.

"Really." Jade said flatly, glaring at me.

"Hey, I didn't say anything." I said innocently. "So what's up?" I asked Andre, who was the first to stand up.

"Well, um uh…" He said clapping his hands together as Cat reemerged.

"Hi! When did you guys get here?" She asked, hugging Jade.

"Not long ago." Beck replied, clearing his throat.

My mom discreetly exited the room and Cat made her way to her customary spot next to me.

It was silent for a moment as Jade scanned our faces to see if we were telling the truth.

"So…" I said, trying to cut the tension between Jade, Tori and Beck.

"How were you guys' Christmas?" Cat asked excitedly.

"It was good." Andre said as Tori and Jade glared at each other.

"Yay!" Cat squeaked, oblivious to the other girls, who looked ready to duke it out.

"I'm going outside…" Beck sighed.

"Whoa! There are so many new visitors in my house! How is everyone?" My dad asked happily.

Tori blinked first and turned to my dad. "Fine, thank you". All while smiling. Jade's blood has to be BOILING.

"Hi sir." Andre smiled, shaking his hand.

"Why's he standing outside messing with his phone?" Dad asked, pointing towards Beck.

"Long story." I said as Andre and Tori waved for him to come inside.

"Hey!" Beck greeted my dad happily as he walked inside, moving to shake his hand.

"Hi, you are?"

"Beck."

My Dad slightly frowned at his name. One of the first times Jade was over randomly my parents figured out she and Beck broke up.

"Nice you meet you."

"Same here sir." Beck politely said. "How was Barcelona?"

"Barcelona was nice, weather is perfect and the scene is amazing." Dad said, gazing out at the living room.

"Is that where these paintings came from?" Jade asked.

"Yes, they came from an open air auction and…"

My dad went back and forth with everyone except Andre, who had zoned off. This went on for about 10 minutes until finally.

"What are you guys doing inside on your vacation?"

"We were coming over to start thinking about something to do." Beck replied.

"Ok, I'll let you kids figure that out. I did hear that Mick's Flags is doing 50% off on admission and rides." Dad said, walking off.

"Really?" Tori asked quickly, sounding excited.

"Let's go!" Cat exclaimed, pulling me towards the door as Tori and Andre quickly followed. I broke away and joined Jade and Beck.

"Did you know about that?" I asked.

"Nope, sounds fun." Beck commented as he reached his car.

Sure enough, there was a discount alright. Even better is that since it's a couple of days after Christmas and people don't really think about going to an amusement park in December there's practically nobody here.

"We definitely owe your dad this time Robbie." Jade said as I came back from the concessions stand with a gigantic cotton candy for Cat.

"Nice day." Andre said distractedly, looking to my left. Cat meanwhile happily snatched the cotton candy and Tori and Jade stole small pieces.

Beck and I looked off near where Andre was looking. Suddenly, a vaguely familiar face turned in our direction and Andre ducked out of sight.

"What?" Cat asked, sounding panicked. I hugged her from behind and tried to calm her down.

"Long story. Just keep moving!" He said quickly, pushing Tori and I in the back. We obeyed, walking forward quickly.

"This better be good! We look like idiots!" Jade hissed. Andre quickly shushed her.

The mystery person finally turned so we could see his face fully.

"Wait…is that…" Jade started.

"No way…" I murmured.

"Yeah, I did one of his parties. Went awesomely. He thinks my name is Andrew though."

"You mean you did one of Jo—"

"Don't say his name!" Andre said quickly.

"He's coming over!" Jade squealed excitedly.

That has to be the most girly I've heard Jade since 4th grade.

"Do I look ok?" Tori asked Cat quickly.

"Yeah, I forgot to put blush on today!" Cat said quickly. Beck sighed and put his hands on his head and sighed heavily.

Suddenly he was right on top of us.

"Hello kiddies."

"Hi…" Cat said shyly, twirling her dress in her hands.

"I saw a young man, about his height—" he pointed at me. "But he was—AH! There you are Andrew! How are you son?" He said, pulling Andre up and shaking his hand.

"Good sir, how did your movie turn out?" Andre said politely. "And the name's Andre."

"Oh, sorry Andrew. Movie turned out great, just enough action to keep me satisfied." He smiled mischievously. "I'm throwing another party next week; you think you can do it?"

"I'll have to check my schedule, but I'll get back to you." Andre smiled widely.

_He's lying._

"Ok then, nice seeing you. And see about changing your name to Andrew alright? Andre sounds too…thuggish." He said, waving goodbye.

Tori, cat and Jade's jaws were on the sidewalk. "I am NEVER doing another one of his parties again!"

"Why not? He's—"

"Don't say the name! I heard enough about Angelina Jolie and J-Lo to last me multiple lifetimes." Andre said emphatically.

"How bad?" I wondered.

"I wish I hadn't heard a word. But they just kept talking." Andre sighed as Jade, Tori and Cat started talking.

"Thuggish? He's so hot, but so not nice!" Tori gushed.

"I know! It gives him a new side! So mysterious." Jade said, eying his back.

Cat just looked out towards him dreamily. Figures, she loves all three movies.

"Ok, that's enough drooling come on." Beck said forcefully as he grabbed Tori and I grabbed Cat and we marched off towards some gigantic roller coasters.

We marched them all the way to the largest one.

"No. Noooo way Beck." Tori said as Cat and Jade looked at me and shook their heads.

"We had to hear you gush about—"

"Don't say it!" Andre injected. Beck looked at him wearily.

"—him, now either come with us or stay here." Beck finished.

"Here!" Jade and Tori said quickly, as Cat tugged on my shirt, eyes pleading with me not to go.

"Cat, I'm going. Now you can come or stay."

She obviously didn't like that, and humphed away.

Beck, Andre and I waited in line for about 5 minutes, and then rode the awesome roller coaster.

However, when we came back down, the girls didn't have time to say 3 words before the heavens unleashed a combo of cold rain and colder wind that caused us flee to our cars without bidding each other farewell.

I started back home as Cat grabbed her brush she keeps in the glove box and combed her hair.

"Robbie, why didn't you listen to me?" She asked.

"I just wanted to have fun." I defended myself.

"Well, you could have gotten hurt."

"Cat, I'm fine. That's all that matters. No need to freak out or dwell on it, just—"

"I'm not freaking out, I'm just wondering why you didn't listen. You just completely disregarded me. Like you did before you got jumped."

"Cat, that's two different circumstances entirely, and I didn't disregard you. I just decided to do what I want for a change."

"So you think that I control you?" She screeched, sounding furious.

"NO! That's not what I meant at all." I said. Cat started to calm down a bit, but still had some color in her face.

"So what did you mean?" She demanded.

"I meant that I don't just randomly make my own decisions on something fun very often. I just like a bit of freedom."

She looked at her hands, looking miserable. Then she hiccupped.

"Am I burdening you?" She sobbed.

"No. Don't you ever think that Cat. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Sometimes I just need to go to something stupid." I smiled.

She blinked and looked at me. "Well, you did that today."

"I guess I did." I said darkly as she leaned her shoulder onto me. "Now what do you say to some Fro-Yo on this suddenly cold day?"

All the anger I had about her freaking out immediately dissipated as her face lit up.

"Yes please!"


	21. Pondering Passion

"Try it again Cat, with a bit more emotion." Beck said flatly, looking on the stage where she, Tori and Andre were struggling to get thru one of the first scenes for the new play. Everyone got a key part, so it was basically our group presenting to the world.

Remnants of our hasty dinner surrounded Beck, Jade and I. We had ordered pizza and sandwiches, and devoured it. We weren't very neat, but we were hungry. The pizza boxes were strewn around haphazardly as we hurried to finish practicing before midnight.

"Mommy, why not? You said—" Cat began.

"I said you might have the opportunity, but you acted impishly and now don't." Tori said flatly. Cat's eyes welled up with tears.

_More emotion, that's good._

"You are leading her on Angie. You shouldn't do that to your own daughter." Andre said, standing off to the side.

"You're so mean! You always make me clean up your messes and you never say you love me and…I HATE YOU!" Cat yelled, storming off the stage.

Tori turned her back huffily. "Fine. Who needs you? You'll just come crawling back after some time, begging for me to take you back." She said, airing indifference.

"Lucy, Lucy. Come back Lucy!" Andre yelled, sprinting off stage left where Cat was hiding behind the curtain. He managed to coax Cat back onto the stage, where it was just the two of them.

Cat was crying softly, and Andre wiped her tears. "Lucy sweetheart. You know your mother loves you very much. Why would you say such a thing?"

"She doesn't love me! I'm just her little maid, picking up after her and never getting to have any fun!" Cat wailed.

"That's not true. What about last week when she bought you that nice make up kit?"

"She took it back once everyone left the house, then ordered me to sit outside in the cold." Cat said, drawing her knees close to her. Beside me, I swear I heard Jade whimper.

Andre did not look pleased at "Lucy's" revelation. "Don't say that. Your mother would never do that."

"She did though! She's changed since Daddy died. I miss my real mommy." Cat said, coming to Andre for a hug.

"Scene!" Beck called out, as Jade hurried forward and Tori emerged from behind the curtain.

"Nice job." I told Tori as Jade hugged Cat tightly.

"Thanks. I'm not liking this character. She's way too heartless." Tori sighed, running her hands thru her hair.

"Remind you of a mom we know?" I said darkly. Beck and Tori looked at me, realization dawning on them.

"This isn't what she needs." Beck said quickly as Cat came over to us. I quickly hugged her and whispered "You ok?"

"Yeah." She whispered back, hugging me tightly.

"Nice job Cat, lot more emotion that time." Beck said reassuringly.

Cat's eyes immediately lit up, since Beck was the one who criticized her originally. She giggled and hugged Beck tightly.

Behind him, Jade looked worried. I waved my phone and she nodded, albeit barely noticeable.

"Sorry 'bout that little red, that had to be kind of tough to take." Andre said, sounding morose.

"It's ok!" Cat piped up happily.

"Hey, what time is it?" Tori asked, rubbing her eyes.

"10:30" Jade replied, looking at her phone.

"Sounds like it's time to head home." Andre said.

"Yeah." Cat said, failing to suppress a yawn.

"Night guys!" Tori waved as everyone went to our cars. Cat wasn't with me since she drove herself today. She followed me the entire time home.

My parents drove my car last, and tuned the radio to a news station. I heard more depressing news out of Washington, blah, blah, blah. Politics are so depressing.

I am relieved when I pull into the driveway, and the radio was drowned out by Cat pulling up next to me.

I unlocked the door and dumped my bag on the couch. Cat walked by and did the same in her room, shutting the door to change into her nightclothes.

Meanwhile, I yawned and changed also. Today was exhausting. The core classes weren't a cakewalk and Sikowitz introduced the play. There really wasn't time to relax mentally until right now.

_Man, I'm exhausted._

My door creaked and Cat walked in. "I'm tired."

"Me too, this is the first time to relax all day." I said as she hugged me softly, looking distracted.

She stayed there for a while, her head buried into her chest.

Just as I was about to speak, Cat did.

"Is Andre right?"

"About what?" I wondered, racking my brain for something Andre said today. Nothing came to my mind.

"My mom."

"What are you talking about sweetie?" I asked, bewildered, but wanting to calm her fears.

"Is Andre right about my mom? He said she wouldn't do something so mean." She said, looking down.

_What? I saw similarities, but she's taking this a bit further._

"You're seeing similarities in the play and how it went down with your mom huh." I replied. She simply nodded.

"Babe, come here." I told her. She obliged, and I hugged her.

"There might be some similarities, but your mother…is a lot worse, and you did the right thing. Are you questioning coming to live here?"

"No…just how it went down. Maybe I should have put up with more." She mumbled into my chest.

"You put up with enough Cat. Your mom…" I stop myself short, because I don't want to outright insult her because of how she treated my angel, but I've found that's very hard to do.

"Yes?" She looked up at me.

"Will live to regret how she treated you when you are a famous singer/actress. You did the right thing sunshine, promise."

Her face lit up and she squeezed me around my ribcage. "You always know what to say when I'm conflicted or worried."

I chuckled. "That's my job, besides being your teddy bear and the best boyfriend possible."

Suddenly, her face lit up and she sprinted out of my grasp, yelling "I'll be back!" as she went full tilt out the door, vaulting the railing before disappearing from view.

_Wow, she's athletic. I forget that, but man, she can MOVE._

"Bang." Goes the door as Cat emerges holding a nicely wrapped package.

"I know it's two weeks late, but here." She shoved it at me.

My jaw was open. I had thought she forgot about my present.

"I…" I start, but am speechless. Cat meanwhile is beaming at catching me completely off guard.

It takes me a moment to get the wrapping off, due to shaking hands but I get it off. There are two boxes, both also wrapped.

_No way…_ I just unwrapped the first one. Inside is the Special Edition of Call of Duty Black Ops.

"Cat! This is impossible to get! I've been on a wait list for weeks!" I exclaim, pulling her into a hug.

She giggled. " Open the other one."

I did as instructed to see a nice watch inside from Rolex.

This has to be payback for the ring. The watch is spectacular.

"Cat…you didn't have to do this." I said softly. She extended an envelope in response.

Inside was a card with a note.

_Robbie,_

_Happy Merry Late Christmas! I would have given it to you on time, but it didn't come together, and I got it here as quick as I could._

_You might still be shocked at it, but your worth it Robbie. A year ago, you were another wonderful boy in my life. Since then, you have been the most important person in my life undoubtedly. From not hating me after I refused you at Prome to how it went down with Michael and Colton, you have taken all the shots the world could have possibly attempted and come out the other side better than ever._

_Everything about you is beautiful to me. It always has been, I just didn't see it for so long, and I cannot be thankful enough for having you as my boyfriend. I don't know what I would do if we didn't work out, but I don't think I'll ever have to. You are the best guy in the world and I love you so much Robbie, I can't put it into words._

_Yours forever,_

_Cat_

I looked at her, with my jaw still hanging open. "Cat…"

She smiled slightly then I pulled her to me. I couldn't hold back my tears of well, I don't know what but they were happy.

"I don't know what to say sunshine. I really don't other than promising to do anything I can for you forever and loving you my best." I said, hiccupping.

"Are you crying?" She said timidly.

"It's hard to explain."

"I know Robbie. I mean it you know."

"I know sweetheart. I know."

We just held each other for a while, whispering loving words to each other. Then she pushed me onto my bed and discarded her top.

_Here we go…_


	22. Loose Ends

(A/N: I am so so so so sorry about the long wait everyone! You have every right to be mad at me! But I do have a good reason. I started college on Monday and am swamped with work. This chap took 5 entire days to write. I'm not stopping, but the updates will probably be more spaced out. Also, below is an M rated scene. Don't worry, I spaced a lot of blank lines in between the end of the T stuff and the M part, but should fanfiction take out my spaces, just warning you now. There is also another warning below. Hope you enjoy :) –James)

_Last Night's dream was particularly nice. It was a Wednesday, and Robbie was taking me to the movies. For some reason I was telling him some of what mom said when I was little, you know about me being useless, stupid and a word that sounds like witch. Suddenly he pulled the car into a deserted parking lot and told me how he loves me, no matter what my 'crazy mother' said. Then he pulled a box out of his pocket like the promise ring except the box was black. Inside was a girl's best friend._

_Best. Dream. Ever. Can't wait till that becomes my reality._

_For now…_

_Love,_

_Cat :)_

I closed the book and stored it in my backpack. I smiled to myself as Cat bounced out of the ladies changing room towards Sikowitz, who was looking over her lines.

Everyone has pre performance rituals. Cat and Sikowitz obsessively go over her lines. Tori fiddles with some piece of jewelry. Beck takes a catnap (pardon the pun). Jade throws scissors at a dartboard. Not the big ones, like hedge cutters, but the really small ones you can fit inside your hand and it feels like you can break it if you try hard enough.

I usually read a magazine, or a book. Cat actually came up to me about a week ago, and explained that the book was her diary, and that I could skim through it if I wanted to, saying she marked the pages she talked about me. After recovering from the momentary shock I stayed up until 2 that morning, reading EVERY PAGE.

I think her coming and living with me is kind of a therapy in itself. You know how she referenced her mother? Well, get this…

(3 years earlier)

_Ok, I'm crying as I write this right now. Mom took things to another level today. She said since I didn't clean the kitchen tiles under the oven I didn't deserve electricity or my animals or laptop or phone or anything. She said life was tougher back when America was made, and I needed to grow up. So she followed thru on her promise, leaving me to a empty, dark room with my backpack and a sleeping bag._

I remember reading that at 12:08 that morning. The pages had marks of her tears, long since dry. My blood boiled and I felt like teaching her mother a lesson. Luck for me, I held my temper in check and stayed at home.

The same cannot be said for my mother. She doesn't know about the new revelations, but she forgot to "talk" to Cat's parents when they were here for Christmas, so she FLEW back, solo and gave her parents a piece of her mind. Tori's dad went with her, and she came back in cuffs. It was all for effect, but things did get heated according to Mr. Vega, and Cat's mom demanded she be arrested. He then proceeded to call Cat's mom the "nuttiest mother I've ever seen, and that is saying something". Later, he pulled me aside and asked if Cat's mental issues could possibly run in the family. I stopped him there. Cat doesn't have "mental problems". She's Caterina Valentine. I don't want her any other way.

Anyway, Mom's in the audience tonight. She changed her ticket just so she could be there for it. I know it isn't for me, it's for Cat.

Things have been astonishing around this play also. Some guy from the LA Times came and reviewed it. He gave it 5 stars, saying that we are "6 stars you'll read about someday." Because of that, tons of other reviews have been coming, trying to disprove his bold claim. To no avail, I can proudly say. The pressure that has come with that is unbelievable. Everyone has been doing nothing else other than work on this play after school for two solid weeks.

Talk around school has also been magnanimous. People were excited to begin with, and then the press attention and finally some genius student came up with the moniker "Greatest Hollywood Arts Cast." Like EVER. Back to 20,000 BCE.

I'm going to miss this entire scene. This is the first time I actually get to speak directly with Cat on stage. I'm playing the one person who believes her, but she chooses to be with another man, who would happen to be Beck. Cat tried mightily to get the script changed to have her fall for me, but Sikowitz called her out on it, saying "personal feeling shouldn't be taken on stage."

"Oh my god." Jade said breathlessly.

"What?" Beck replied to my left.

"There's absolutely no room out there! People are sitting in the aisles!"

After hearing that, everyone except me dashed over and peeked out.

"Good gracious, you're right Jade." Sikowitz said.

"Eeep."_ Uh oh, that means she's nervous…_

I quickly pull her aside and hug her tightly when we get out of sight. "You'll be fine sweetie. You know all of your lines and cannot be better prepared."

"But the crowd is so big." She replied, holding me close.

"So what? The crowd will be so much bigger when you are a top singer. Try 10,000 people."

She looked troubled, and close to backing out. I firmly grabbed her shoulders.

"You've got this. I'll see you out there ok?" I said firmly, squeezing her shoulder and walked off. I have learned that sometimes she needs to be told something, not saying "Oh, you can do it!"

Feverish movement preceded the first scene. Andre, Cat and Tori, crush it as usual.

_Talk about the best week ever. It's so nice to know that I can eat what I want, how much I want, sleep when I want, be affectionate when I want. No chores I have to do, just things I'm expected to do, and not somebody's maid. I know most people have always had that privilege, but this is all very new to me and Robbie has opened that door. It's wonderful, and I certainly won't be going back home anytime soon. Home is now here, at Robbie's._

I get my cue and step out to Cat, sitting on a park bench, sniffling.

"Lucy?" I asked.

"AAH! Oh, hi Bryan." She said sadly.

"You ok?" I asked, sitting on the other end of the bench.

"My mommy is being mean."

"I'm sorry. Did you do anything to provoke it?"

"No!" She said angrily, glaring at me.

"Ok…you want a hug?" I asked. Just like reality, she scooted into my arms and rested her head.

"It'll be ok, promise." I said. She nodded and walked off. Then came my monologue. A junior that looks like a football player came out.

"No luck?" He asked.

"Nope." I said, hands in my pockets and looking down.

"Dude, that sucks. You gotta tell her some time."

"It's not that easy you know. It's not like telling her 'I love you' is like breathing or brushing your teeth. It's hard. She might not even like me back."

"You'll never know until you speak up."

"And if she says she doesn't like me?"

He was silent for a moment. "Cross that bridge when you get to it."

We both walked off stage to allow Beck and Cat's characters to fall for one another. Soon after was me realizing that I had lost my chance and spiral down into a pit of despair. Then comes the meeting, where things are beyond awkward with them holding hands right in front of me as they talk about 'how real' their love is. The end scene was Beck introducing her to his friends and everyone was happy. Except my character.

Once the curtains closed we heard an explosion of clapping. After taking a bow, I happily changed into my regular clothes and walked to my car. Cat's SUV was already gone, so I drove to Freezy Queen to get some Fro-Yo, then to the park.

(Written the day after the parking lot fight)

_I'm so STUPID! A fat, ugly, worthless, cow. I FINALLY told Robbie and it went worse than I had envisioned in all those nightmares. Instead, he yelled about how I could do this when I know that he loves me. He asked how I could do this to his heart. Then something about losing his confidence in love. I tried to calm him down, but when I grabbed him he effortlessly shrugged me off saying "Don't touch me."_

_I can't believe I did that to him. I knew he loved me, that he wants me to be his girlfriend. And I didn't even have the courtesy to say 'Hey, I'm dating another guy and we had mind blowing sex last night!'? I'm so shallow! He probably doesn't even want to talk to me. I would be surprised if he ever spoke to me again. He probably should move on. he's too good for me._

_Colton called me later that day, and I didn't even feel like answering. I just curled up in my pajamas and watched sad movies all night, crying my eyes out. Maybe mom is right. I am worthless and stupid._

The Fro-Yo melded with the strawberry on my tongue as I finished reading her entry. The more and more I read this, I realize she's just like anyone else when it comes to what she thinks. The only different thing is what she likes, and there is nothing at all wrong with that.

I remember my feelings that day, for grief's sake. How could I forget? It was like missing a arm or leg. Cat had freaking betrayed me, and knowingly too! I feel bad she said all that terrible stuff about herself though. It's not true. She's wonderful in every way. Which brings me back to another entry…

(A/N: I bet after two sentences you'll know EXACTLY when this one happened.)

_OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! He kissed me! We were talking about what happened the other day in the SUV and I kissed him as a kind of sorry and stuff happened and HE KISSED MEEEEEEEEEEEE! It was the best kiss ever. Not aggressive, just…there. Showing his love through one gesture that he probably had held in for months, if not years. I don't know how long he's liked me. I probably shouldn't ask, it'll just make me feel bad but I'm SO HAPPY! He doesn't hate me! I'm still coming to grips about how I feel about him, I just know that I want him to be 'My Robbie'. Not anyone else's, all MINE. I want to hug him and kiss him and have him get rid of all the bad things that mom and Michael and Colton have done. He can definitely do that. He can do anything. He's already shown that ju7st by sticking by me._

_Insanely, head over heels happy,_

_Love Always,_

_Cat xo_

I smiled and blinked. Something light and soft was lying it's head on my shoulder silently.

"Boo." Cat said quietly.

"Hey. You did great." I reassured her, giving her a one armed hug.

"Sorry about the ending." She said, sounding upset.

"It's ok sweetie, nothing always goes how you want it to. You just have to roll with the punches."

She didn't reply, instead taking a mouthful of Fro-Yo she apparently got.

"It's really pretty out tonight huh."

"Mm mm." Cat said, mouth full.

I didn't reply, instead leaning back and enjoying the quiet.

"What do you think?" She randomly said.

"How lucky I am to have a girlfriend like you."

She laughed. "Thanks, but I meant the diary."

"Umm…" I said, worried about what I could do wrong to set her off.

"I think it's very real sunshine. It shows a side I don't really see all that much, but it's refreshing. And I love it. That side of you I mean."

_I could have said that better._

Apparently Cat disagreed, since she wrapped me into a passionate embrace. "Thanks Robbie." She whispered, topping it off my kissing my cheek.

"Anytime."

"Hey, when are Carly, Sam and Freddie coming?"

I checked my phone for the date.

"Next…AH! This Tuesday!"

(A/N: Ok people. This is where you make a choice. That's right. It's decision time. Below, after many blank lines is when this chapter goes M for…things teenagers do in their spare time. If you don't want to read, that's completely fine. If you do, know this. I alluded before that I suck at writing these kinds of scenes. So I apologize in advance if you don't like it.)

"What? It's Saturday! I can't be prepared in 3 days!"

"Prepare for what?" I wonder aloud. "You can't get any prettier…"

She slapped my chest, and then whispered "Keep talking like that and see where it'll get you."

"As you told me 'All you have to do is ask.'" I smirked.

She laughed and grabbed my hand, gently placing it under her shirt. I softly touched her stomach and waist as she climbed atop of me.

"You're really good at this you know." She groaned, digging her nails into me as I stroked her just beneath her bra.

"Thanks." I smiled, continuing to tease her.

She suddenly shuddered. I snatched my hand back. "Sorry."

"No Robbie. Get us back home now. I need you." She stated bluntly, standing up. I grabbed the trash and quickly threw it away. I hopped in the front seat, then Cat hopped on top of me.

"Cat—"

"I can't be separated from you. Just get us home safely."

"Ok." I said, pulling out quickly, disregarding all speed limit signs on the 5 minute drive back home.

Cat clearly was starting to lose herself. She had been simply sitting on me, but then started running her hands up and down my shirt, then lifting it up to get her hands on my flesh, groaning as she hit my skin.

I hastily pulled in to see her SUV already here. Cat scrambled off me and quickly headed to the door.

"How's your SUV here? Didn't you drive?" I asked.

"No, Jade dropped me off." She said, heading inside at light speed.

After locking both cars and the house plus windows, I headed to my room. I had barely cleared the door when it shut behind me and Cat jumped me, fiercely kissing me, causing me to stumble into my bed, sending us onto the sheets haphazardly.

"Robbie…" She moaned, as I resumed my touching of her chest. She quickly melded our lips as she pulled my shirt off. I quickly did the same to hers.

She shuddered again as I dipped below her shorts, causing her to roughly grind me, trying to get rid of the tension inside her. "Oh yeah…I needed this…"

I smiled. "That's what I'm here forrrrrrrrrrrr." I said, as Cat yanked my pants off and stroked me, causing a knee jerk reaction that shoved her bra into my face.

"Who needs this damn thing." She groaned, throwing her bra off. I roughly grabbed her and kissed her simultaneously. I felt her legs tense up as I touched her breasts.

"Do it." She ordered as I came up for air, shoving my face into her breasts. I took a breath and then gently sucked one, which caused her to groan in pure ecstasy.

"You are a GOD!" she cried out blindly, taking off her shorts. She then pulled me to her, kissing me fiercely while running her hands over my back. I gently caressed her upper thigh, causing her to grind me REALLY HARD.

"I can't last much longer…" She whispered into my ear, taking off her underwear while exposing herself to me.

"Ok." I said deeply, pulling the covers over us and discarding my underwear. She softly stroked me while kissing my neck.

"Cat, if you want to finish—"

"Go…" She said, placing my hands between her legs. I slowly began touching her there. Surprisingly, this causes her to loosen up; otherwise I couldn't reach my goal if you know what I mean.

Slowly, she parted her legs while making many sounds that would make most guys lose it. I did the first time, and lucky for me Cat wasn't mad. We just ahem "finished" later.

I slowly positioned myself on top of her. She lifted open her eyes and said "I love you so much."

"I love you more sunshine."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." She shuddered as I gently entered her and started rocking back and forth. I have learned since that first night, which was painful and fun for her. She likes "it" fast, but when "it" does happen, no more rocking. I made the mistake of doing that when we did "finish", but immediately regretted my physical bliss upon the sight of her bleeding and crying.

"Go, go, GOGOGOGOGOOOOOOO!" She said feverishly as I started hitting her spot. There was just one last thing I need to do, and that's for her ultimate pleasure. I gently grabbed the breast I hadn't already handled and sucked gently while thrusting once or twice more.

"Perfect—YESYESYES!So good! HARDER!"

Then both of us tensed up and lost it.

"." She moaned as I sucked harder, showing my satisfaction.

God this feels so good. And right.

After a moment, she limply laid her head down on my shoulder as I continued to pleasure her, which is another trick I learned. Let her down easily. Don't abruptly stop afterwards. That'll just piss her off.

Finally, I came up for air, kissing each breast and trailing kisses up her chest and neck, where finally I met her eagerly awaiting lips. She moaned when we did kiss, and she hugged me tightly.

"You just get better and better. Any better and I might explode." She whispered seductively as I touched the back of her leg.

"Please don't baby. And I promise I will get better, I messed up again."

"Where?" She asked quietly, running her fingers on my stomach.

"Loosening you up, I didn't go as far as you like."

"That's ok. It was the best yet."

"Thanks." I breathlessly said, finally leaning back on my pillow.

"You up for some later? We don't have any plans tomorrow." She asked, laying on top of me.

"Didn't you want to make yourself prettier or something?"

"You told me I can't get any prettier, so for once I'll agree. Maybe that's your testosterone talking, but all I know is we're making a pretty future Robbie." She trailed off.

A crazy thought just popped into my head. Two actually.

"Cat? Can I ask you two things?"

"Sure." She said with her head on my shoulder.

"Warning you, this is kind of big."

"Shoot. Not me please." She giggled, and I kissed her shoulder.

"You want kids right?"

She looked at me like I went insane. "Yes! I love kids. Especially if they're our kids. Why? Do you want them now?"

"Not now, but in the future yes. I would like to have a couple of little Shapiro's." I chuckled, and she giggled.

"How soon? It'll take 3 weeks for the pill to wear off…"

"Not anytime in the next year baby. At least I don't think so."

"Ok."

"Do you have a problem if it's before marriage?" I tentatively asked, knowing she's very conservative when it comes to this kind of thing.

"If it's you, no. Anyone else, yes. Does that answer it?"

"Yes." I replied.

A moment of silence passed. "You have another question?" Cat asked softly.

"When do you want to get married?"

She froze, and then flipped on top of me. "Really? You don't want to wait?"

I have thought about my next words ever since I started going out with her.

"I waited for a long time before I asked you to Prome Cat. A long time. I understand if you want to wait, but I think I've waited long enough. And besides—" I reached into my bedside table with drawers.

Out came a small black box that I bought a week ago at a jewelry store using some of the money Dad invested that's Cat's. Technically, she bought it herself, but that's not the point.

"—I have the ring right here." I presented her the box, opening it to reveal a ring with a diamond on top.

She made an indistinguishable noise and tears started falling quickly.

"Robbieeeee." She sobbed, taking the box from me and sitting up. I just sat there, praying with every fiber in me that she was happy.

She suddenly cried out "Yes! Yesyesyesyes YES!" Then hugged me while continuing to cry.

"I didn't get to ask." I jokingly said. She immediately jumped away from me, wiping her eyes. She then gestured for me to begin.

_Here we go…_

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Caterina Valentine? Will you marry me?"

She nodded and tackled me into a hug. I put the ring back on the table and wrapped my arms around her. "I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too Robbie, so so much. I don't always do it right, but I promise to try my best everyday forever."

"I promise the exact same thing sunshine. One more thing, if you don't mind." I asked.

"Sure." She said, gazing at her ring again.

"Can I call you Caterina more often? I really like it."

"You do? It sounds so…formal. And bleech." She shook her head.

"It's one of a kind, just like you. Not to mention perfect."

"Then ok." She whispered. I grabbed the remote to the lights and dimmed them. Cat instinctively held me close.

"I'm getting married. I'm not going to be Valentine anymore."

"You can keep Valentine if you want." I quickly said.

"I'll think about it. But…I'm getting MARRIED!" She squealed.

"Yes, yes you are." I replied.

"This is so perfect." She said sleepily, punctuating it with a yawn.

"It is Caterina, it really is."

(A/N: Two words sums all that up. END SCENE. Now, who hears wedding bells? I can smell the cake! Hopefully they invite me!)


	23. Not always perfect, but always enough

My eyes had barely been open for 2 minutes, adjusting to the light before Cat stirred, hugging me with a feather light touch. I opened my eyes to the bedside table next to her, where the ring sat after last night. I can't believe I'm saying I'm sleeping with my fiancé for the second night since I proposed. Talk about surreal. I wasn't even sure it had happened until I asked Cat and she showed me that yes, it wasn't just a dream.

Anyway, the alarm for school is going to go off soon. Yesterday was kind of a weird day. Cat cried multiple times over breakfast, first because she burnt it on accident while waiting for me so it would be a surprise. Then she was swapping fingers, and she cried 'tears of happiness'. Lastly, and most worrisome was that after dinner, she asked if I married her just to spice things up. She didn't think she was ready to get married. I confidently told her that I proposed because I can't imagine being without her, and that if she wanted, she could take it off and not wear it if she didn't feel ready. I told her 'It's up to you. It's your life, and if you don't want to say yes yet, then simply put it back in the box on my table and we'll just keep living life.'

That kind of reassured her, judging by how she burst into tears again into my shirt and remained there for the rest of the night. Literally. I carried her into bed with me, still sobbing. I feel kind of bad that I jumped the gun a bit and caused all of this second thought on her part.

In accordance with yesterday's weirdness, she fell asleep still in shorts and a t-shirt of mine. She always says 'I want to be as close to you as possible'. Ok, now I'm going nuts. I have already acted anyway, taking off the shirt and pants after she fell asleep.

So now, I'm softly running my hands up and down her silky skin, watching the sun rise and shutting off the alarm so I could wake her up.

After about 5 minutes of enjoying the moment, I gently shook her. "Wake up sweetheart. It's 5:30."

"I don't want to get up…" She mumbled into my chest.

"It's Monday though! We get to see everyone today!"

She immediately perked up. "Right! Morning."

I laughed. "Morning."

Her happy demeanor quickly evaporated as she realized her shirt and shorts were gone. "Where's my…Robbie!" She said, sounding scandalized.

"What?"

"Did you…take advantage of—"

"NO!" I quickly said. "No, I wouldn't do that Cat. You know that. You just always want to be close, and I like it so…"

Her attitude flipped back around. "Oh, ok!"

She then kissed me on the cheek softly and got up. Again, for what seemed like the millionth time, I marvel at how pretty she is. I had 3 girlfriends before Cat, and none of them would be considered "Hot". Then I start crushing on Cat and…now I sleep with a goddess in red hair on a nightly basis. Talk about surreal.

The gravity of the last year hit me as I woke up.

_Has it really been a year? No way…the accident happened last February and…today's February 30__th__. Wow. It went by so fast, I barely noticed. Seems like only yesterday when I told her that I wanted to go to the movies as friends and she hid her crying that I finally got to kiss her like I've wanted to for 2 solid years._

I had just got my shirt when she came out, still drying her hair. On an impulse, I quickly scooped her up and kissed her, trying to tell her "I love you" with every moment. I think she realized that and wrapped her arms around me. Then she did something she almost never does, because she's not much of a make out person. She started clashing our tongues and moaning softly, making us fall back onto my bed and forgetting that it was Monday.

I don't know when we started, but by the time we separated we both were gasping for air and it was too late to get to first period on time.

"Looks like we're gonna be late." I joked.

She giggled. "It was worth it." She shuddered again as I tickled her ribs.

We both took our time getting ready from then on. We agreed that we couldn't miss Sikowitz's today, and we didn't want to anyway.

Surprisingly, but maybe shouldn't have was that Cat had again cooked me breakfast while I was showering.

"What did I do to deserve you?" I asked as I saw the spread on the table, and Cat in full costume, complete with hat from the pantry. The sight of it made me smile. Her looking out of breath, apron around her cute dress, no shoes and the hat. A mishmash, but still perfect. Kind of like what we are. A Mishmash.

"I don't know…but I'm lucky to have you." She gazed up at me.

It was delicious, and we were right on time to make it to Sikowitz's. While driving to school, Katy Perry's new song, TGIF came on. It's Cat new favorite, and she belted it out, with head bobbing to match. It was kind of hard to tell which was which most of the time, which shows how much talent she has.

_How did I not notice that before?_

"It's nice to be able to walk with you to class for once." She said as we approached Sikowitz's room.

I smiled as we walked in. "Hi!" Cat said excitedly. I briefly noticed the light shine off her finger. I know the promise ring didn't shine like that.

"How's it going little red?" Andre asked happily as Beck, Jade and Tori all looked on, smiling.

"I'm good, did you guys have a good weekend?" She replied.

"Yeah, shopped." Tori said as Beck groaned quietly. Jade smirked.

"You know you liked it." Tori kidded. Beck rolled his eyes and asked "How about you Andre?"

"Oh, you know, another party, lots more numbers, same old stuff really." He said nonchalantly.

"That's NORMAL?" Jade asked, surprised, eyebrows arched.

"Yep. Phil Knight next weekend."

"Isn't he the head of Deka?" (A/N: Deka is Nike in the story)

"Yep, and he wants a cool birthday party, so he called me."

"Wow." Tori said, voice in awe. "That's a lot of name recognition.

"Do you have a stage name?" Cat asked excitedly. "Like Winnie the Pooh or Biggie? Oh Tupac! Where is he? I think I read the other day he is hiding out in Vegas." She finished, jumping up and down.

Andre and the others were holding back giggles from hearing Cat talk about a dead rapper with such fervor. "I don't think so sweetie." Beck said, which merited a glance from Tori.

"Phooey." Cat sighed, pulling up a chair as Sikowitz began talking about ideas for the next play. Romantic Comedy…Dramedy, and no, not doing a tragedy.

Buzz, Buzz.

That's my phone.

_I need to talk to you after school. Did you drive Cat? - Jade_

"Yeah, I did." I replied.

_Ok, think you could meet me in the park at 3:45?_

"Sure. It's a date ;)"

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnng!" The loud noise of chairs scraping against the floor was accompanied by everyone heading to lunch.

"What do you guys think about the new options for the play?" Tori asked, sounding chipper.

"Not doing a tragedy." Cat and I said simultaneously, causing both of us to go red.

"Ok then." She smiled. "What about the dramedy?"

"Maybe, but I prefer the romantic comedy." Beck said, taking a bite out of his burrito.

"Same here." Cat and Jade repeated each other.

"What are you, reading people's minds today sweetie?" I joked, causing her to blush and giggle. The others smiled and continued to eat.

Luckily today Ms. Clarke was out sick, so we actually got to breathe in class today. She's so bad I don't even know the names of half my classmates since we're working up until the bell everyday then sprint out before she can assign more work. We spent the whole class playing Candy poker. I wiped the floor with everyone, since Cat loves playing and we play every couple of weeks.

After dropping off my bag and girlfriend at home, I realized that I didn't have any homework for the first time since the semester started. That's quite a comforting feeling knowing that I can go home and watch movies or play games or whatever with my girlfriend.

Wait…my fiancé. That's going to take some getting used to. She's not just a girlfriend anymore. She's on her way to becoming Mrs. Shapiro or staying Ms. Valentine or whatever combination suits her. That amazes me as much as when I realized back in Miami that she means the world to me.

"Hey? Anybody there?" Jade asked, waving her hand in front of my face.

I jump at the sight of her sitting so close, her leg against mine. "Hey, sorry I zoned out. What's up?"

"We promised to meet here at 3:45?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Right, I knew that." I said, trying to shake the cobwebs out.

"Anyway, I want to talk to you."

"Ok, about what?"

"Cat suddenly getting expensive pieces of jewelry."

"What about it?"

"Well, first off, what does the one with the stone like her hair color mean?" She asked.

"That's a promise ring. Basically saying 'I love you' in physical form."

"And saying I care about you more than anyone else too right?"

"Exactly."

"Now, what up with the diamond one today? I don't think the others noticed, but it was impossible to miss."

I smile to myself. She can keep a secret I know, so I think she deserves to be kept in the loop.

"Did you see what finger it was on?" I smirk.

Immediately her wheels start turning. I think she was expecting a straight answer, and not have to work for it.

"No, what does it matter unless…" Her expression goes from thoughtful to surprise to happy beyond comprehension in seconds.

"No way…" She said quietly as a smile started to appear. I barely nodded and next thing I knew she had tackled me into a hug.

"You're getting married! Oh my goodness little Robbie, wow…" She said at a thousand miles per hour.

"Slow down, I barely understood that." I say.

"When? What's the date? Can I tell people? Oh my gosh—"

"No, you can't say anything. No, we don't have a date. And I asked after the play."

"Was it romantic?"

"Uhh…" I freeze. It wasn't romantic; it was more like in a fling of passion.

"You did it after sex?" She surmised.

"Kind of." I admitted, looking down.

"Knew it. Can I tell her I know?"

"Sure."

Next thing I knew her lips were pressed against my cheek and my head went blank.

"I'm so happy for you guys! I'm going over right now!" Jade said, running to her car and speeding off to my house.

_The women in my life._ I smiled to myself. Wouldn't trade them for anything.


	24. Visitors are back

Red hair bounced in my face as we calmly waited in the terminal for Carly, Sam and Freddie to emerge from the taxi-ing plane.

"Geez Cat, calm down. They're coming as fast as they can." Tori said with a slight smile.

Cat continued to bounce on the balls of her feet. Beck and Andre smiled at the sight of her giddiness.

Since they are coming on the terms of a "school project", "we" meaning, Tori, Beck, Jade, Cat and I basically get the rest of the week off to show them LA and assist in any way possible.

Speaking of Jade, she hasn't stopped smiling at Cat and I since she found out the news yesterday. She and Cat talked about it until 11 yesterday, and the only reason they didn't talk all night is because they both fell asleep in my room. I slept on the couch, which hopefully isn't a sign of things to come.

I haven't seen Jade this happy in…well, 7 years. It's like she's been given new life, or a gigantic injection of happiness. I think this was wearing on her more than she let on.

"Oh COME ON!" Cat said loudly as people started emerging.

"Easy sunshine. A little patience." I reminded her, placing my hand on her shoulder. That did nothing to placate her bounciness, and red hair continued to wave up and down.

"Man little red, where on earth do you get the—" Andre started, but left his sentence hanging as Freddie emerged and Cat tore out of my grip, ran and tackled him into a hug.

Sam and Carly were right behind him, smirking slightly at the sight of Cat having Freddie in a hug so quickly.

(A/N: For this story to avoid any ship warring, nobody on iCarly is dating anyone. Period. Carly is single, Sam is single, and Freddie is single.)

"Nice to see you too." Freddie smiled at the rest of us as Cat mumbled something.

"That was quite the greeting." Sam said drolly. I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway, hi!" Carly said happily. Her expression quickly changed to confusion and maybe a bit of apprehension.

_She's not as good an actress in person._ Flashes through my head as I read her face.

"Did I miss something because…" She said, pointing at Beck, Jade and Tori.

Tori immediately backed up and blushed deeply. Jade kind of went white while Beck squirmed for a moment.

"Jade and I—" Beck began, but Jade cut him off.

"Aren't together anymore. But he and Tori are going out now."

"Oh. I'm sorry, but congratulations?" She said, sounding unsure how to phrase it.

"It's cool, we know what you mean." Jade smiled at her. Beck and Tori looked surprised at how she was treating the situation so easily.

Sam and Carly meanwhile, picked up on the unspoken words between the 3 of them and gave each other covert glances.

I just sipped on my vitamin water and watched in all unfold. "Was the flight ok?" I asked. The iCarly hosts jumped at the sound of my voice.

"Um, yeah. Glad to be out here though." Carly said quickly.

"Carls doesn't like airplanes all that much." Sam said, rubbing Carly's shoulders, which I now noticed were tight to her body. She looked out of her element.

"Hi!" Cat squeaked as she zoomed back to my side for a moment before hugging both the girls.

"She's happy." Freddie smiled, shaking my hand. "Thanks for inviting us."

"No problem, glad you're here." I replied.

"So what's the plan while you guys are here?" Tori asked, smiling at Freddie.

"Well, we were thinking of seeing a few of the sights like—"

"Joey Chestnut's Star on the Walk of Fame! And his signing of his book!" Sam exclaimed, putting her hands in the air. "Woo Hoo!"

"Yeah, that. It's the most excited she's ever been about a book." Freddie sniped, which caused her to punch his arm. HARD.

"OW!"

"Why'd you do that?" Cat asked.

"He's a nub."

"That's not a reason to hit him!" Tori said, glaring at the blonde. She looked surprised at the reaction from the girls. I was ready to back them up, and I don't doubt Beck and Andre are with me on this one.

"Whatever."

"Baggage claim?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, get there before the crowds."

"Not gonna happen." Tori, Jade, Beck, Cat, Andre and I said at the same time.

"All together now." Carly smirked.

"The crowd lives at baggage claim. You'll have to wait at least 10 minutes." Beck told the 3 of them. Carly looked ready to get out as soon as possible. Tori looked like she had an idea.

"Hey, how about we take Carly and Sam to my place while a couple of you guys stay and get the bags?" She threw out.

Beck and Andre groaned. "Why us? It's their bags!"

"We'll stay, right Robbie?" Cat piped up brightly.

"Sure, we'll stay. The rest of you can go if you want." I placated her.

Beck and Andre seized the moment, grabbing both girls' carry-ons and started off towards the parking garage.

"Ok then." Jade said, looking at the retreating figures of Andre and Beck.

"That settles that huh?" Carly smiled.

"Yeah, c'mon. I'll show you where my car's at." Tori volunteered, leading the girls plus Jade off, leaving Freddie with Cat and I.

"Well now. That just leaves us." He smiled at Cat and I. Cat was quickly regaining her bounce, and started looking around for something.

"Uh huh, so down to baggage I guess?" I wondered.

"Not quite yet. I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. I'm thinking about grabbing a bite to eat before we rejoin the others. That is, if you don't mind." He finished defensively.

_Must be an effect of having Sam on your back 24/7._

Cat looked delighted. "That sounds great, c'mon!" She said, dragging him off to the escalators.

By the time I reached the escalators they were out of sight. It took me a few minutes to spot them over by one of the carousels, and by the time I got to them, he had already grabbed all the bags. He grabbed his own duffel, and put it on top of Carly's roller. I grabbed Sam's, and immediately regretted it.

"Jesus! What did she pack? Bricks?" I muttered, which provoked a grin from Freddie.

"Probably Fat Cakes and Ham."

"You're kidding right?" I asked.

"Nope." He said flatly.

Cat kept badgering me about not hurting myself all the way to her SUV, which caused Freddie to look at her kind of funny.

When we walked up to the SUV, Freddie looked taken aback.

"This is your car?" He asked, looking surprised and envious.

"Nope, hers." I pointed to Cat. His jaw dropped.

"No way…"

Cat just smiled as she pressed the button for the tailgate to rise. "Yep! It's so big! Like a tank! I'd like to have a tank to—"

Suddenly, the Galaxy Wars theme song sounded out. That's not my ringtone or Cat's so it must be Freddie's. He pulled his pear phone out of his pocket and groaned.

"Yeah mom...Yes, I'm safe…Carly and Sam are too…easy mom, Sam's my friend too…MOM! No—Mom, Bye." He said, hanging up and looking aggravated.

"My mom's nuts." He explained. Cat went over and hugged him. "I know what you mean."

Freddie looked shocked. "What?"

"Long story, I'll explain later." I said, as Freddie got in the back, and Cat and I took our normal positions.

"So where are we headed?" I asked Freddie.

"OOH! Palm Garden! Can we go there?" Cat asked, pulling on my sleeve and looking back to Freddie.

"Sounds good, I love Palm Garden." Freddie smiled.

Cat and Freddie talked for the majority of the drive to Palm Garden. We easily got a table and Cat excused herself to the restroom.

"She's happy today." He smiled, looking out onto the restaurant.

"She's like that every day." I replied.

"Must be fun." He said.

"Having her around? Oh yeah, it's never boring."

"I remember at Kenan's when I talked to her how she always brought you up somehow." Freddie told me, smiling slightly. "She's really into you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"You guys going out?" He asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I saw how she was standing in front of you right before she hugged me. She had ahold of your hand and looked very happy. That plus how she always returned to your side when she did leave you."

"You pay a lot of attention to detail." I commented.

"True, I like the ring by the way. Is it the real thing?" He asked, sounding kind of down.

"Yeah, we don't have a date. You and Jade are the only ones who know, so please don't broadcast it." I asked, and he nodded.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

He resumed his looking out onto the patrons, sipping his lemonade with a placid look on his face.

"Your love life isn't so hot huh." I blurted out.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah…it's been kind of rough. Carly just broke it off with another one of her thermometer boyfriends."

"Thermometer boyfriends?" I asked.

"Basically Steven. She likes him, they go out, she practically marries him and they break up. Up quickly, and then the mercury drops."

"That sucks."

"That's not the half of it. I'm seeing now she's not all that great. Sam and I actually dated and—"

"WHAT?" I yelled in shock. "You dated her?"

"Yeah…" He ran his fingers thru his hair. "It was kind of rushed and we didn't last long. But Carly was flipping out about us going out and has repeatedly degraded me."

"Like when?"

"On an iCarly when I kissed Sam, one webcam person voiced his opinion for Creddie, saying I'm hot. She said "Let's not get carried away here." and quickly clicked him off."

"Ouch." I said, shocked. Cat is going to be disappointed. She's a big Creddie.

"What was Cat talking about when she told you not to hurt yourself back there?"

"Oh, I have to go to rehab for my back."

"Sucks. Why?"

"A couple of her ex-boyfriends have gone psycho and hurt me on occasion."

His eyebrows narrowed. "Hurt you how?"

"Tackled me into car doors, mugged me, left threatening letters—"

"Letters?"

"Yeah, I've been getting them in the mail the last few weeks, saying they are 'coming to finish the job'. Cat broke up with both of them."

"Does she know about the letters?"

"No, and I don't want her to. She worries enough as it is."

"Hey, don't over think anything." He said firmly, causing me to look at him. "You guys are doing so great you plan on getting married. Don't hide stuff; don't lie to her, keep it clean and everything will work out."

I let that sink in. "Do you still like her?" I asked. He jumped.

"Who, Carly?"

I nodded.

"I…don't really know. Part of me does, but that guy is not here at the moment. I haven't told her I loved her or asked her out since the Taco Truck."

"Did she ever get you an answer?"

"She did by asking out another guy on the 1 year anniversary. To the day, I kid you not. How'd you hear about that?"

"Cat reads all the forums."

"Oh."

"I'm back! OOH! Breadsticks!" Cat exclaimed.

Freddie and I laughed and soon Cat and Freddie started talking again. Listening to how they go back and forth cracks me up. Cat kids, Freddie kids back and she brushes it off.

_C'mon boy. Man up. Admit you don't deserve her._

Oh god. I quickly turn around to see if someone just spoke in my ear.

"You ok Robbie?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah…I'm good." I said shakily. They got back into their conversation and I held back a shudder,

That voice. I thought I was done with it forever.

_She's not going to Prome with you._

"_Shut up! You weren't there!" I bite back angrily._

_You told me all about it when you got back. You threw me up against the wall._

Rex. The voice that spoke for him. Bouncing around in my head. I try to block him out, but he continues to badger me for the rest of the meal.

_She's going to ditch you again. _

_Who would love you? You're Robbie Shapiro, nerd extraordinaire!_

_Her mom was right. She's a whack job._

I try to shake the voice off, and it does stop, but the thoughts remain…


	25. Backup

I lightly hit my hand against my head. He's back. Of course, when I say that, it's my voice, but his ideas.

I might be crazy, but that puppet seemed to take a life of his own at times. I gave him up so I could pursue Cat and live my life in piece. Our life. The life I'm trying to build brick by brick with Cat.

"You ok Robbie? You seem a bit out of it." Tori said, looking worried. Cat snuggled herself into my side, clearly trying to ease whatever was bugging me.

"I'm ok, just feeling kind of weird." I replied, causing Cat to purr slightly into my ribs. I looked down to her looking miserable.

I grabbed my phone. "You ok?"

_I hate seeing you when something is wrong. Can I do ANYTHING? :(-Cat_

"No sunshine, my stomach is upset. I wish there was something you could do though."

She glanced at her phone and rushed off.

"Where's she going?" Carly asked after Cat sprinted past her.

_She's running from you._

Screw off Rex.

"No idea." I replied.

Just as soon as she had left, she was back with a stomach relaxant, water and Tylenol.

"Awe." Jade and Tori cooed at the same time.

"Thanks Cat." Her face lit up for a moment before she settled back into my side. I took the medicine before redoubling my efforts to block out Rex.

"So are we done brainstorming with a few extra brains?" Freddie smiled at Jade, who seemed to be making an extra effort to be very nice to him.

"Yeah. I need ham." Sam replied, dashing off for my fridge.

"Second shelf!" I called out to her.

"She won't need any help." Carly said confidently.

"So what now? What do you guys do for fun?" Cat asked her and Freddie.

"Uhh…" Freddie stumbled out.

"Well, we usually either mess with Spencer or go to the Groovy Smoothie." Carly said, sounding kind of saddened.

"That's not fun." Cat stated. Both Freddie and Carls went red.

"Well, since the two of us are in honors and Sam doesn't usually help out much, we are always busy." Freddie said, looking down.

"Well I want to have fun." Cat stated again. The others were silent.

"I'm having fun." Sam said, mouth full of ham, walking in the room.

"Back in the kitchen or outside. No food in the living room." I said firmly.

"Says who?" She bluntly said. Carly started to stand before Freddie grabbed her wrist.

"Says him! It's his house, why don't you listen?" Cat quickly said, glaring at her.

"He's a nub."

Suddenly a streak of red flew across the room and Cat and Sam were GONE.

"Don't you DARE call MY ROBBIE a NUB! Get back here!" Cat shrieked, chasing after Sam.

"Wow, I've never seen anyone make Sam run like that." Freddie commented.

"She's smart." Jade said darkly. Carly looked surprised.

"Hey, the girl can inflict pain." Beck said, raising his arm to reveal a tiny scar of what looked like teeth marks.

"When did that happen?" Tori asked.

"Before you came to Hollywood Arts. I took her elephant away. She bit me amazingly hard and refused to let go until I gave it back. Eventually I bled so much she gagged and let go, but the damage was done.

CRASH!

Everyone jumped at the loud noise. "Everything ok?" Jade called out.

"Yeah!" Cat called back as Sam made some primal noise.

Suddenly Cat chased Sam back into the living room, where everyone was sitting calmly.

"You might want to apologize." Carly said, then sipping her water.

"Why? It's—" She stopped speaking as Cat had her by the leg, but she managed to get away while Cat fell down.

"Aren't you going to stop her?" Tori asked me.

"Why? Maybe Sam needs to be taught a lesson Carly and Freddie won't." They both looked at me, not happy. "Hey, you both care about her. It's not like I don't but still. Plus, she's defending me, so why stop her from doing that? If I stop her, I'll be the one running."

Jade and Beck shrugged, while Freddie and Carly let it go. The chase between the girls had left the room.

"Hey, I heard you are a good DJ." Carly asked Andre, who was looking at his laptop.

"Yeah, I've been told I'm pretty good." Andre said, typically understating himself. That always annoys Tori to the point that they're gotten into screaming matches about it.

Tori breathed heavily through her nose, but Carly didn't catch onto it. Beck did, and scooted a little closer under Jade's watchful eye.

"Can you show me something? Like a beat?" Carly asked innocently.

Andre pressed a few keys and a fast synthetic, but very catchy beat started up. I found myself subconsciously bobbing my head along with everyone else.

"Very nice." Freddie complimented.

"Thanks man, AJ really liked that, even asked for a copy."

"Who's AJ?" Tori asked.

"Angelina Jolie." (A/N: I heard some of her close friends call her AJ, so I am running with it.)

"You met Angelina Jolie?" Jade asked voice rising one octave as Carly's eyes bulged. Beck looked impressed.

_Dude's just making connections'…he's gonna hit it big FOR SURE._

"Yeah, she's really nice. Brad too. The kids I saw when I gave her the CD were adorable."

"So she liked you?"

"Yeah! Haven't gotten more than 2 or 3 negative comments in 8 months."

"Overall you mean?" Freddie surmised. Andre nodded.

"DAMN IT!" Sam yelled from what sounded like my parents room.

"Want me to get her?" Carly asked. Jade looked to me for what to do.

"Let them sort it out. If Sam lays a hand on Cat, she'll regret it."

No sooner than I had said that then Cat chased her in here again. Sam had a odd look on her face, and had no sooner come within 5 feet of me with Cat on her heels then she whipped around and slapped Cat with the back of her hand.

The next few moments were a rush. I took one step, grabbed Sam's wrist and pinned her against the wall. Freddie, Tori, Beck and Andre were right next to me. I heard what sounded like Cat cry out, but muffled.

"Hey, she was trying to hurt me, it's not like—"

"Shut it. I don't give a damn. You hit her. You called me a nub. That made her mad. She's my girlfriend."

"So?"

"_I promise to care for you, and love you, and always be there for you no matter what, ok sunshine?"_

Time to put those words into action.

"You're the problem. I'm not going to just stand by and let you treat Cat like you treat Freddie." I saw Carly blush severely, but I blew it off. "Get out."

"What?" She asked, incredulous.

"Get out of my house! I don't want you here, so you're not going to be here! Take a taxi or something. Just go away."

"You can't make me leave."

"Yes, he can. Now get out!" Jade said firmly, pointing towards my front door.

_That's the Jade of old. Always having my back in a tough spot._ I made a mental note to thank her privately, but she probably will say it was the right thing to do.

Sam glared at Cat, who I now see is crying into Beck's shoulder.

_Relax…that's only because you're taking care of Sam._

"Fine. I'll see you back at the hotel." She muttered, and walked out.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then everyone moved quickly. Freddie, along with everyone else from Cali went over to Cat. Carly meanwhile, sprinted to me and started apologizing for Sam profusely so quickly I barely understood her.

After a moment of this I grabbed her hands. "Relax. I'm not mad at you. Or even her. She just needed to leave."

Her jaw dropped. "But she—"

"It's ok. Now she knows not to doubt me. Or Cat."

"Maybe we should go back to the hotel?"

"Up to you, you're welcome to stay for dinner." I smiled warmly.

She looked down shyly. "Thanks for not hating me."

"No prob, just stick up for him more ok?"

A look of fear crossed her face. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

I turned back to see Tori, followed by the others heading to the door. Jade silently pointed to her phone. I turned to where Cat was, only to see my bedroom door shut.

"Hey, we're gonna head back. See you tomorrow?" Freddie said in an even tone.

"Sure, night man."

Did someone flash a "Let's get the hell out of here right now" sign that I didn't see?

_They hate you. Nobody likes you two being happy._

Shut it Rex. I know he's not real, but it makes it easier to ignore him by giving a name to it. Weird I know.

I shut the door to that part of my mind, knowing it's time for me to go into therapist mode, because Cat will surely think she did something wrong. I grab a flexible ice pack and open the door to my room, where Cat is sitting Indian style with her face in a pillow.

I started for her, hoping to sit on the bed before she notices I'm here. However, I forget about the creaky floorboard and the noise causes her to look up.

"Why did she hit me?"

I sat on the edge of the bed and offered her the ice pack. She took it and applied it, shivering when it hit her cheek.

"She underestimated us sweetie. Did she hurt you badly?"

"No…just more shock and anger. I was defending you. I wasn't going to hit her."

"Looking at it from my perspective, it seemed like you were about to."

She looked worried. "Are you mad?"

"No, I appreciate you sticking up for me."

"So you're saying both of us messed up."

"Exactly. Her much more than you."

She sniffled and I hugged her softly. We stayed like that for a moment.

Rex's quiet voice leaked into my head, but I buried my head in her hair and the voice faded out.

"Thank you for staying true to your word."

_I knew she would notice._

"Anytime. You know what Cat?" I asked, causing her to look up at me.

I grabbed her right hand and wiggled her ring finger, complete with diamond ring. "I'm going to stay true to these words too."

The smile on her face was indescribable. She looked ready to fly. But then her face fell. "You know why I went to Beck right?"

"Because I was taking care of Sam for you."

"Yeah." She smiled. "You're so smart."

"Thanks."

"I don't say it enough, but I really really love you Robbie."

"You don't have to Cat. I can tell just by your hugs and gestures and…everything. You're love just leaks out. It's contagious. Like your happy personality."

And there's that smile again. I smile at the sight of it and poke her dimple playfully, causing her to giggle.

"Can we just stay here?" She asked, cuddling herself to me. I know she loves just staying here with me over just about anything else. I find it interesting since she hates staying still the rest of the day.

" for you. You know that."


	26. Troubled Times

Cat POV

I sighed, feeling sad and more confused than I have in a long time.

That's usually how I am inside my own head when I get around to thinking. All the people that make fun of me behind my back. Why people exclude me from things I want to join in on. I don't understand.

Robbie makes that all better though. He always knows when to hug me, and always hugs tight. He's never said a mean word to me on purpose and loves me for who I am.

But that kind of is what's bugging me. I'm confused about what's going on. Carly, Sam and Freddie left a few days ago after an awesome iCarly that involved everyone except Robbie. Why NOT Robbie? Sam seemed indifferent after she apologized, and I believe her. I don't know why though.

The bright shining sun bounces off my finger and into my eyes. Who knew engagement rings were so…bright? It's like carrying around a sign that says "Don't talk to me, I'm taken!"

Of course, I am taken, but it kills a lot of people coming up just to chat. I like talking to people. It always is exciting and you never know what you're going to find out.

The ring also has been bugging me. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I want to become his wife. I love Robbie. The ring…I just don't know. When I put it on the morning after, it felt…weird. Icky, slimy, like a pair of handcuffs. I don't want to go to jail ever. I don't like how cold handcuffs are.

I don't like being so sad and confused. Robbie deserves me at my best. He's already gone through too much for me and probably doesn't want to hear me worry about how ready I am to love him like he loves me.

I don't love him like he loves me. I mean, I love him, I don't want another boyfriend. But he practically treats me with deference and puts me on a plane on which I have no superior. I am not that great. I heard him say to someone "She's like a goddess in red hair." I'm not a goddess. I'm just silly, goofy, clumsy, happy Cat.

I remember when he said I was the most important thing in the world to him. My first thought was Really? What about your Mom and Dad? They love you. What about Jade? You've known her for what seems like forever. What about Beck and Andre, who you always hang out with when you need "Guy time", which mainly is going to Andre's to watch the Canucks play. I like hockey. It's fast and I don't get bored like with other sports. Even Tori? You don't hang out with her much, but she's always there when you need her and is pretty and happy and talented.

As I said, I'm just…Cat. The one with the screwed up parents, the oddly dyed hair, the quirky personality. Honestly, I know I'm weird. I know that. Robbie loves that. I don't know why.

He's told me repeatedly, I love you for being you. Don't change. What if I want to change a bit? Will that hurt us Robbie? I don't want to lose you. My entire world would fall apart if I lost you.

That's why I can't tell you any of this stuff. You deserve me at my best if for no other reason than I love you.

I can't help a tear trickle out and fall down my cheek.

_Darn, there goes my makeup._

I'm just really worried, more than anything else. That's what's caused this spilling out of my innermost thoughts. Why am I worried?

Robbie and I had a fight.

Not a big one, we didn't scream at each other, but we walked away and didn't talk for a few hours. I just cried. This isn't supposed to happen. We're supposed to graduate after finishing our last play and start on the rest of our lives of superstardom. I know that might not happen, but even if you miss the moon you'll be amongst the stars.

The entire thing was kind of weird. The fight I mean. I walked into his room, where he was on his Pear Pad.

_(Back to two days before)_

"Hey." I said happily.

"Hi sunshine, how's it going?"

"Good. Finished my homework."

"Nice."

"Are you doing homework Robbie?" I immediately start scolding myself. I haven't talked like that to him since before Michael.

I think he noticed because the light in his eyes changed ever so slightly, and just for a moment.

"No, just checking out USC and UCLA."

_No, you can't do that._

"Why? I thought you were going to go to CTC with me and everyone."

"I'm not so sure about that Cat. I mean, yeah, I'm ok at acting. But I'm not like anything special. I am just looking at those schools as backup. That doesn't mean I'm giving up, just giving myself options."

"I think you're amazing at acting."

"Thanks sunshine."

"C'mon, let's go get dinner." I said, pulling him by the hand.

He stayed where he was though.

"I think it's best we order in tonight. I need to keep looking at this stuff." He said, returning his gaze to the computer screen.

"C'mon. Do that another night. Let's go have fun."

"Cat, the deadline for applications is in a couple of weeks."

"So? You have time! Wait a bit, relax! Have fun! You don't need to go there anyway."

"Cat, I don't think you know where I'm coming from."

"Explain then." I said, perching myself on the doorframe, arms crossed. He's starting to make me mad with all this 'I'm going to a different school' talk.

"I want to be a successful person, with a wife, big house, stable job, children, all that stuff. I don't want to box myself into hitting it big on stage with the alternative of working a boring 9 to 5 that mean I'm not happy and can't provide for us."

"Don't think like that Robbie. It's depressing."

"Cat, I just am doing what I think is best."

My anger level suddenly spikes.

"Who SAYS you're right? You are amazing on stage, can't you have any faith in yourself?" I said, maybe a little too loud than was really necessary.

A frown appeared on his face. "I DO have faith, I just want to have options."

"WHY? You should believe in your dreams!"

"I do believe in my dreams, I just am not living in a world that means failure by me is acceptable. I have a reputation to uphold. I can't fail."

"Robbie, who says you WILL fail?" I asked, walking into the middle of the room. "You keep on doubting yourself when everyone around you thinks you have a ton of talent!"

"I haven't heard them say it."

"Do you have to? Just believe Robbie! That's all you need to do! Please!" I practically begged him.

"I told you, I do believe. It's not like I'm quitting being on stage. I'm just going to keep my options open."

"FINE!" I yell, slamming the door behind me. I ran to my room and cried for hours.

Why doesn't he believe in himself? He's the best actor I know. He is an awesome ventriloquist, and needs to wake up and realize his "back up plans" are just ways for him to shield himself.

I don't know how long I cried, just that I had to swap pillows 3 times. The next thing I knew I heard the door shut and a pizza box was sitting on my dresser, accompanied with my favorite blend of cheeses.

After eating, I decided I need to apologize. I go into his room again, but he isn't there. After searching just about every other room, I find him watching TV in the studio.

"Hi." I say, sitting next to him, but with some space between us.

"Hey, did you like the pizza?" He smiled, averting his gaze from the TV to look at me. His eyes seem worried, if eyes can look like that.

"Yeah…Robbie, I—"

"Shh. It's ok. I know what you meant. Sorry for getting so heated ok?"

I smiled, and snuggled into his lap. I don't remember much else, just that I woke up later in his bed with him.

_(End Flashback)_

He didn't address it. He taught me that you have to tackle problems head on and not pull any punches. And there he goes, pulling a punch on me. I know he wants to make me happy and have options. I get that. But he does need to hav more faith in himself. I've been trying to get him to think like that ever since I met him. I've kind of succeeded, but as you can see, it's still a work in progress.

Just like Robbie and me, if you really think about it.

(A/N: Ok, to give you guys a timeline, if everything goes as planned, this story will end with 35 chapters. I know, that means just 9 left on this one. Don't flip out. There will definitely be a part 3. Hope you liked it! Reviews are always appriciated and helps me dial in my chapters more than any of you guys know. Thanks :))


	27. Controversy Continuum

Robbie POV

Not a good week. Very suckish.

Maybe Cat's right. Maybe I need to take a chance with my acting. Go to CTC and throw caution to the wind. My friends have my back. I have been told multiple times that if I play things right, I can do great things.

I lay my head back against my seat and groan. Beside me, a door opens and shuts again.

"Hey! Thanks for waiting." Jade smiled.

"No prob, sorry about your car." I replied, pulling away from Jade's house. Her car got totaled when a guy ran a red while drunk. She was unhurt, but she scared me to death when she called and with sirens in the background said "Robbie, can you come help me? I'm in a tight spot."

Cat and I raced there and were horrified to see the front end of her car had seemingly evaporated. All that was left were tiny pieces of metal and plastic. Jade was badly shook up, and didn't sleep all night. She and Cat stayed up all night. Just talking. I slept since I've been working hard for a while.

Today's a special day. The list, 2012 edition is coming out. I'm placid on the idea of advancing on the board. Cat and Tori have repeatedly claimed that I will make a "Huge" jump. I'm skeptical, since the biggest jump was when HA won a championship in football, back when they played here. The QB was last, jumped to 54. It was a class of 91. Ours is 114.

Today is a big yearbook day too. The deadline is in a couple of weeks, and there hasn't been the normal amount of picture taking and stuff. Rumor is that they have drastically increased their online influence, but no indication they actually have.

I pull up to Cat's SUV. She tried to talk me into letting her drive Jade, but to her displeasure, I stayed strong. It almost caused another argument, but thankfully she backed off.

I don't know what is with all this fighting between us. It's so atypical of how happy we've been. This has been the happiest year of my life, and now I can see the occasional gray cloud.

"Beck!" I hear Tori yell sharply in the hall in front of us. I quickly stop Jade from walking in on what sounds like an argument.

"It's not that big a deal Tori! We know Robbie and Cat have already—"

"Cat's not pregnant! For all we know, they have never had sex! We have no proof! Other than them holding hands and that they are sleeping and living together, nothing has changed!"

"But—"

"Don't you but me Beckett. Not yet. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I'm being a good girl."

"Who said good girls waited?" Beck shot at her. I glanced at Jade, who was looking dead ahead with eyes wide.

Tori gasped, and then said a slew of mumbled words. "How dare you! Do you just want me in bed? Are you really that desperate? Go back to Jade then, she's still available for you to have ALL the fun you want."

"I'm not desperate; I just wanted to throw the idea out. We don't have to do it." Beck said defensively and softly, as opposed to Tori's raised voice.

"Yeah, 'do it.'. Nice choice of words."

"That's not the point. It's up to you." Beck said, sounding like it was his last stand, and she could take it or leave it.

Tori sighed. "Fine. We're waiting. I'll see you in third ok?" Tori said, walking off towards Jade and I.

I suddenly stepped out like we had just walked in the hallway.

"Morning Tori." I said happily. I got a grumbled response from red faced Tori.

"Morning to you too…" I snipped at her heels. I saw the ghost of a smirk cross Jade's face.

"Hi Beck! How are you?" Jade said cheerily.

"Tired." Beck said quietly.

Jade and I exchanged fake discreet glances. This was one big thing we had back in elementary school, unspoken communication, and it has come back in a big way in the past month.

"Is everything alright between you guys?" I threw out. Beck suddenly looked very uncomfortable and Jade hit my arm.

"Robbie! Didn't you learn anything from Cat? Don't be so blunt!"

_She's playing up the drama._

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

_She wants Beck back._

_Oh My God._

"Geez. Sorry, I was just asking. I'll let you guys talk…" I said, quickly walking away, and knowing I had pulled the classic animal planet move. (A/N: iOMG anyone…? Eh? Stupid thing killed Creddie for 5 months, along with Forgotten. I should rename it to Abandoned. At least until Seddie breaks up and Carly shows she at least cares for Freddie. Sorry, way off topic. Back to the story now…)

I walked back into the main hall, where André and Cat were chatting idly.

"Do you think that I should go higher on that note?" Cat asked.

"If you can, it would sound better. Don't overdo it though, you could lose your voice and have to use that headband again."

"I won't. I don't even know where it is. I think my brother ate it before I moved." Cat deadpanned. I had to hold back a laugh.

"Really now?" I smiled. She turned around and hugged me before I could respond.

"Hey man. Wassup?" Andre grinned at Cat being so happy.

"Not much, just waiting for class and stuff."

Right on cue, the bell for first rang. Cat held onto me tight the whole way to my class.

"Sweetheart, you know you're going to be late right?"

"I don't care. I just want to hug you."

I smiled and kissed her hair.

"I promise that when we get home we can go right to the TV room and you can hug me until 6. Ok?"

Cat nodded and buried her head into my chest.

Sikowitz's was an epic disappointment. He told us that he had a idea for the last play of the year. At Hollywood Arts for us.

And then he hands us a program for a play that kills two characters, both girls and a third becomes a stripper. The guys, on the other hand all become rich and famous, but treat the girls terribly. The bell can't ring fast enough as I can sense Jade resisting an urge to throw her chair at him and Tori blowing up on him. The six of us flee like there's a bomb in there as soon as the bell rings.

"I can't believe he would suggest—" Beck began.

Everyone quickly ran to the wall where the List was now posted. I was just standing there with Beck.

"Well, looks like it's put up or shut up time." I said, dreading the moment when I saw my name on the bottom as usual.

Then, like last year, a streak of red came and tackled me, but this time it knocked me right to the floor.

"Ow…"

"You did it Robbie! 19!1919191919191919!" Cat said so quickly I barely understood it. She suddenly looked up at me.

"No way." Cat scrambled off me and I quickly went over to see that I was indeed, number 19.

"Congrats dude!" An dre said, exchanging a two handed high five. Beck and I quickly did the same.

"Told you…" Tori smiled, coming in for a hug.

"Thanks Tori."

Suddenly she dropped her voice. "You just gotta keep the faith."

She separated herself from me, and Jade looked on the verge of crying.

"C'mon now Jade…don't cry…"

Thud. Into my shoulder she goes, holding onto me like Cat does when she's really scared or happy. She doesn't say anything, and I just smiled and stroked her hair as a few tears hit my shoulder.

Looking over her shoulder, I saw Cat, looking on with a faraway look in her eyes. She had a slight smile, so I don't think she was mad. Then I remembered that we're both of her best friends, and this is a special moment. I'm pretty sure she realizes that.

The rest of the day goes by in a flash, with tons of people coming to congratulate me about setting the new record.

Jade cried all the way to her house. She keeps on going on about how I used to be all nerdy and stuff, but now I shave and sleep with Cat and now engaged and…then cried more. I just kept quiet, since this is kind of her "Robbie's all grown up" moment. I had my "Jade's all grown up" moment back when we were at Cat's the morning after Michael got beaten up. Just…wow. She changed a lot in 5 years. But now we were best friends again. Just like it should be.

"Hey Robbie." Cat said happily as I walked into the TV room as promised.

I plopped onto the couch, and she settled into my lap and laid her head on my shoulder.

"I kind of like the play idea."

_WHAT?_

"WHAT? You are joking right?"

"No, the surviving girl role sounds interesting."

"No. Absolutely not." I demanded fiercely. In one scene the character strips down to her bra and underwear. Nobody but me is seeing Cat like that.

"Why not?" She asked.

"She's a STRIPPER! In one part she goes down to hear bra and underwear Cat! Nobody is going to see you like that but me!"

"Why just you?"

I grabbed her hand and wiggled her ring. "That's why! You could possibly be my wife, and I don't want people to come and say "Oh, your girlfriend looked totally delectable."

Cat rolled her eyes. "You just want me all to yourself!"

"What's wrong with that? I love you! I don't want people to look down at you."

"Why are you bossing me around! You can't tell me what to do!"

"Sweetie, you sound like you are 12. And welcome to how I felt last week. You aren't my boss either."

That obviously took her off guard. She opened her mouth and shut it again. Tears suddenly sprung to her eyes,

"Ok…"

"Ok." I replied softly, grabbing her hand. She took it back quickly though.

"Do I have to leave?" She asked, looking ready to cry for days and run out.

"No…I would love to just hold you for hours sunshine."

And just like that, she was back into my arms. She couldn't hold back the tears, however.

"Why are we fighting like this Robbie? I don't like being mad at you. This isn't supposed to happen…"

"This isn't perfect Cat. Nor should it be. I don't like fighting with you, but sometimes we need to save each other from ourselves. I'm not mad at you, just looking out for you, and I think you are doing the same."

Cat looked up into my eyes, eyes glistening. "You always know what to say…"

"Good thing too, otherwise I would have messed up somewhere before now."

She giggled. "Yeah, like groan another girl's name while we're sleeping together."

My blood went cold.

_Oh god, please don't be mad. It was only once, and it was a dream No idea where it came from._

"What are you talking about?" I played dumb. Cat suddenly went red.

"Well, a few nights ago you woke me up by moving around in your sleep. I heard you moan like you do when we're getting close…"

"Ok…" I mumbled. _Crap._

"Well, your boxers were up, and you mumbled "Tori…" and lost it."

I stuttered, as Cat looked down shamefully. That is what happened. Tori and me. No idea where it came from.

"I have no idea where it came from, I swear." I quickly said.

"It's ok, tonight I'll just have to give you a reason to moan my name REALLY loud." She said seductively.

"You aren't mad?"

"Nope, but just you wait…OOH! Girly Cow!"

I just sat back and watched Cat enjoy 3 hours of a Girly Cow marathon. The show might be dumb, but she's happy and in my arms, so I really don't give a damn what is on.

As long as I'm with her.


	28. Into The Blender

Click.

Beck shifted his arms and rearranged his face into a serious expression.

It's senior photo day. We're about an hour out of town at a lake, where everyone is taking pictures on a wooden bridge. Jade and I are already done, and Cat, Tori, Andre along with other people is getting their makeup done by the people that are taking the pictures for the school, Prestige Studios. Random side note, but isn't that the perfect name? Prestige.

The last few days between Beck, Tori and Jade are eerily reminiscent of the last few days of Beck and Jade as a couple. I feel almost legally obligated to say 'for now' because Jade has been practically attached to Tori and Beck.

Jade and I are looking on, sitting on the hood of Cat's SUV. The sun is shining brightly, so both of us have sunglasses on.

"Your sunglasses are so preppy it's not even funny." I said, smiling at her perfectly round, black shades.

I see the edges of her eyes dart to me. "Hey, you are going all Deka with the athletic sunglasses."

"They're cool, I'm not knocking them. You look good."

Jade quickly blushed and looked off into the distance. "I could say the same."

Now it's my turn to go red. "When did we get to the point of saying the other looks good?" I asked rhetorically.

"No idea, but I'm not taking it back." She said, clearly trying to keep her face calm.

"You gotta watch that estrogen girl."

She glared at me looking half scandalized. "What are you saying?"

"You still want Beck." I said simply.

She quickly looked to where Beck is, then to where the makeup artists were.

"C'mere." She grabbed me and started off to the lake, hidden by some tree cover.

We walked for about 5 minutes. After reaching the shore, she sat down on the beach.

"Am I that obvious?" She said, sounding scared.

"No, but I noticed because I know you so well."

She sighed and put her head on the fine pebbles. "I feel…dirty. We broke up. We became good friends. The whole thing worked out. Then Tori and he had that argument and the floodgates opened."

"I know what you mean."

"You do?" She sounded shocked.

"Remember? We beat Michael up, Cat and I went to the movies, broke up, did the friends thing, then got together. I felt conflicted about Cat during all 3 of those guys. I shouldn't like a girl that's with another guy…but she's Cat."

"And he's Beck." She finished.

"Exactly."

She groaned heavily and closed her eyes. "What do you think?"

"I'm not good at this remember? I constantly went to you guys for help."

"But then you decided to push the envelope your own way. Plus look at it. You owe me."

I responded with a groan of my own and looked back to where the others were hidden from view.

"I really don't care whether you and he get together."

She sat up quickly, looking at me like I had just broken her heart.

"Let me finish… if he makes you happy, then you should do it. What I don't want is for you to rush into it and ruin what both of you have worked to for about a year now."

She looked relieved. Kind of. "You want security in the group."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"You put the whole dynamic in the blender by pursuing Cat. You fail, and disappear, then we aren't so close. You're being selfish." Jade said flatly.

I know I say it repeatedly, but this is old Jade at work. Told you what she thought if it was the truth. Otherwise, few people knew her true thoughts. And I've been in that group, out by choice, then allowed back in.

"You asked me for my opinion. I'm sorry if it sounds selfish." I responded.

Jade opened her mouth to respond, but there was a rustling behind us, with Cat moving towards us lightly with her tongue between her teeth.

"Hi!" She said cheerily.

"Hey Cat, is everyone done?"

"Beck and Tori and I are. They left to do something, they didn't tell me what. Why are you guys so far away?"

"We were just talking." I threw out.

"Ok, can I sit here?" She asked peppily.

"Sure…" Jade said, sounding unsure.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"I don't think you guys were this quiet before I came here." Cat pointed out.

"Well, we were talking about Beck and Tori." Jade said, taking me by surprise.

"Oh. Well, you have been hanging out with them a lot." Cat pointed out. I smirked slightly, but Jade didn't see because she was looking at Cat.

"Because Beck is getting back into my head again."

Cat was silent and my head was completely blank. I didn't think she would tell her that. I mean, she can keep a secret but still.

Suddenly, Cat gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "You like him again!"

All Jade did was nod.

"Ohmanohmanohmanohmanohman that's not goooooood…" Cat said quickly.

"Why not?" Jade and I said at the same time.

"He's with Tori!"

"That's what HE said, but he didn't think of that when going after you!" Jade spat at me.

"Hey! Look where you are now! Are YOU thinking 100% clearly?" I shot back at her.

Cat looked uncomfortable. "What do you mean? I'm confused."

"He put it all on the table when going after you, even when you were with the other guys. Now he's telling me to be careful."

"I would have stopped if it would have meant cat or me leaving the group. You KNOW that." I told Jade firmly.

"You wouldn't have asked me out if that would have put others at risk?"

"I care too much to do that sunshine."

Suddenly her eyes were full with tears. "Am I burdening you Robbie? Do you want to break up?"

"What?" Jade and I said at the same time. I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms. She squirmed feverishly, but I didn't let go.

"No, no no no. I don't want to break up, or take a break or anything ok? I just think too much about loving you to hurt you."

She sniffled into my shoulder. I just glared at Jade, who at least looked guilty.

"I think that you should get back together, just don't let it spill into the rest of us." Cat asked.

Jade looked mildly irked, but swallowed her pride. "Sinjin." She said quickly, as Cat and I scrambled to our feet.

"Hi." He said as Cat and Jade huddled together.

"Yeah, I'd love to chat but I got to get to community service, so…" I said, heading back towards the lake.

"Bye!" Cat said, as she and Jade ran for it.

I wasn't far behind.


	29. Lesson Learned

I closed my eyes, trying to relax. I had just finished what might be the last English project for Ms. Clarke. My pear Pod just started playing Stevie Nicks' Landslide.

And now I'm on the verge of tears. Don't worry; I have my reasons, one of which certainly is simply 'What if something happens to Cat?' Life isn't fair. I know this. I just don't the world to take her from me.

But the main reason I'm torn up is because I got another note.

_You aren't meant for each other. Just look at her. Her personality is that of an 8 year old. We're going to take you out_, _then she'll come right back to us. You watch. You aren't meant to be, and you know it._

"Well, I've been afraid of changing, 'cause I've built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, even children get older and I'm getting older too, oh, I'm getting older too."

The note is sitting on the desk, open. I saw it after checking the mail early this morning. Thank goodness it's the weekend because I can't go to school like this, and I can't have another absence.

I've built my life around you.

One statement summarized the last 7 months that Cat and I have been under the same roof. You take Cat away and…I don't even want to know what happens. As for Cat…I can't imagine. I really don't want to, so I refuse to entertain the possibility.

Suddenly, a loud noise snaps me out of my reverie.

"Robbie!" I look to my desk. The note is gone. I spin to see Cat in her hand, looking positively volcanic.

"What the hell is THIS?" She asked, shaking the letter.

"It's a letter."

"From Michael! When did you get this?" She demanded.

"Today."

"From how it's written this isn't the only one. Where are the others?"

Might as well be honest, even if it causes more reprimanding.

"Drawer." I pointed.

She dove to it, and pulled out a stack 15-20 thick.

_It can't be that many._

Cat seemed to fluff up the more she read. She muttered random words, many of which cannot be said on TV under her breath, then screamed aloud.

"We're going to Tori's! NOW!" She yelled, yanking on my arm and heading to the driveway. I instinctively move to my car.

"NO! You are in major trouble Robbie Shapiro. You get in my car."

I just stood there, shocked.

"NOW!" She shoved me into the passenger's seat.

She drove the majority of the way in silence.

"Cat, it isn't that big a deal—"

"SHH! I don't want to hear it. I cannot lose you Robbie. You know that. They want you gone to get to me. I cannot BELIEVE you hid this FROM ME!" She shrieked, causing me to cover my ears.

Needless to say, I kept quiet until we got to Tori's, where Cat ran to the front door and yanked it open. I followed after removing the key from the ignition and locking it. I walked to the open door only for Cat to inadvertently slam it in my face.

I open it to hear Tori say "He's upstairs, why do you—"

Cat ran up the stairs, ignoring the rest of what Tori had to say.

I look to see Beck lounging on the couch in his socks, Jade and Andre near the fridge, and Tori standing behind Beck on the couch.

"What's going on?" Jade asked.

"I—"

"Don't!" Cat said threateningly, pointing at me with Tori's father behind her.

"What'd he do that's go you so fired up Little Red?" Andre asked, leaning towards her.

"THIS! He hid that from me!" She emphatically threw the noted, paper clipped together onto the table. Everyone grabbed one and started reading.

"Son, did you really keep this from her?" Tori's dad asked, looking tired.

I nodded, and he groaned.

"Robbie!" Jade yelled, looking at me is disbelief.

"Dude!" Beck said, hands out to his sides.

"Why?" Tori's dad asked, as Tori looked from me, to the paper, back to me, and back again to the paper. Andre meanwhile, grabbed another one.

"She—" I pointed to Cat. "—worries too much about me. I'm fine."

"This isn't about you being fine Robbie, this is about you—" Cat poked me hard in the chest.

"—trusting—" She poked me again.

"—me!" poke, harder than the others.

"Ok. I stand corrected." I said defensively.

"Damn right you do!" Cat snapped. Jade grabbed her shoulders.

"I wish you would have said something Robbie. They could have acted before now. I can have people on lookout in your neighborhood just to be safe. You neglected the situation and Cat has a right to be furious."

Cat seemed, pleased, but looked back to me with fire in her eyes.

"Why didn't you say anything!" Tori said, voicing hitting a high octave.

"I told you! Cat—"

"—worries too much? She loves you dude, trust her!" Beck interjected. Jade, Tori and Andre nodded.

"Ok, ok. I get it. I screwed up big time not saying anything. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Promise." I raised my hand.

"Do you want any extra protection?" Tori's dad asked Cat.

"You said something about a neighborhood lookout?"

"Yes, do you want that?"

"Uh huh." Cat nodded, and the two of them left the room to discuss the details I assume.

Meanwhile, the others lit me up. How dumb my decision was, how could I not trust her, I'm lucky they have held off, etc. Everyone except Jade.

After the others had made themselves hoarse, I turned to her. "Why aren't you mad?"

"Oh, I am. You bet I am Robbie. I just wouldn't want to be you when you guys leave." She said darkly.

Soon enough, Cat came back downstairs and yanked me up and pushed me to the door.

"I can walk you know." I snipped.

"Go." She ordered.

This time I stayed quiet the whole drive back. It was quiet until she slammed the door shut behind her. Then the volcano erupted.

"ROBBIE ALEXANDER SHAPIRO! How can you not tell me? Don't you love me? Come on! I can take this! I love you, I just care! Why don't you let me in! COME ON!" She yelled, shaking me by the shoulders.

"Cat. Please understand how I felt when you saw me in the hospital. You almost had a nervous breakdown right in front of me. That broke my heart. I love you so much I wouldn't do anything voluntarily that would hurt you. I should have told you, I know. I even thought about telling you! But how would I say it without you breaking down and flipping out in worry? I just couldn't follow thru on it knowing what would happen."

"I get that, but c'mon Robbie…trust me! Please! Just let me be there for you! The vows go both ways! I'm supposed to take care of you too! Let me do that!" She begged me, tears falling without restraint.

"Ok sweetheart. I will, promise."

She looked up at me. "Promise?"

Her face was indescribable. Hope on top of fear on top of fury on top of love.

"Promise."

And with that she hugged me tightly and cried without restraint into my shoulder. Her nails dug into my back sharply. I didn't care. I just held her as she cried.

"Robbie, I love you so much, I can't put it into words. I can't lose you. You are everything to me. Please don't do anything that might take you away from me alright?"

"Alright, I promise."

It took a few minutes, but cat finally calmed down.

"You're grounded you know." She stated, matter of factly.

"Oh am I now?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. No Xbox for 3 weeks."

"Cat!" I yelled. She basically banned Jade for 3 weeks.

"Nope, all decisions are final. And that reminds me, there's one more."

"Ok…" I said, worried.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me into my room. Then she pushed me onto my mattress and closed the door. Then she grabbed the remote and hit the lights.

"What on earth are you doing?" I asked with a smile.

"You're last punishment is that you have to lie here with me and watch TV for the rest of the day. No exceptions."

I laughed and pulled her into my arms. "Ok. I can live with that."


	30. Take A Bow

In, out. Breathe. C'mon…I can do this…

Lucky for me, the others seem to be in the same boat as me. Trying to keep their emotions in check. Tori and Cat seem to be holding the other up, while Beck is steadily looking at his lines while trying to keep his hands still. Jade…I don't know where she is.

All I know is this: This is the last play we will ever do for Hollywood Arts. There simply isn't enough time left in the year. It took too long to come up with a satisfactory idea for this play for us to put on another one. We still have to get through Prome, yearbook has to get in, graduation, then finalizing college plans, along with all the stress that goes with that.

But I can't think about that now.

Sikowitz is sitting in the director's chair like he's supposed to, but never does. He looks like he doesn't know what to do with himself. Everyone is coping their own way. He just doesn't know what to do.

So he settles on yelling "Places in 2 minutes!"

This causes frantic scurrying and faces to be arranged in looks of calm for the audience. Deep down, we know that we've been around each other too long to hide our feelings of 'This can't be it…can it?'

The curtain goes up and the performance begins. The play is a twist on the common love story, with all of the main characters falling for people, and things not going like they are supposed to. Like the balcony love scene, say Beck and Jade are about to kiss but right before their lips meet in the climactic kiss, Jade's elbow hits a flower pot, sending it down onto the ground below.

Buzz kill!

Stuff like that, for a hour and a half. It's really a riot. Like when say…Tori comes down the stairs in a long, flowing dress. Well, she makes in down alright, it's just she tips on the way down, falling flat on her face.

Guys aren't immune to this either. What if I was presenting Cat with a rose, and while moving to smell it, Cat pricks her finger, and she can't stop the bleeding so she had to go to the ER, all while yelling at me for getting her a 'especially sharp rose!'

The crowd is packed full of parents and family and friends. My parents are coming back for good in a couple of weeks, so they asked Tori's parents to videotape it. They agreed without hesitation.

They only member of immediate family not here other than Cat's parents is Trina. She's…well, let's just say this. She didn't stop being Trina after graduating last year. And now she's going to be a mommy. To a baby whose father she doesn't remember. She's not giving it up for adoption or anything, so it's all hers. That's the problem, albeit it's a small, bundle of joy kind of problem, but still a problem. She's working two jobs right now and just barely getting by. Tori and her family are stressed out because of the possibilities. I can't blame them.

_Wait…Sinjin just fell off the brick wall. That means there are 2 more scenes. 2 more scenes left in my Hollywood Arts acting career._

_Wait…don't think like that Robbie. Don't make this harder than it really is._

And suddenly, Beck finally succeeds in his efforts to woo Jade, and they kiss. It's over. The curtains close, and we all get ready to bow.

_It's over. _

After everyone takes a bow, and the crowd starts to disperse, it's picture time. Parents take individuals, and then comes the cast photo. Tori, Cat, Jade, Beck, Andre and me. Arm in arm, smiling at the camera. By the look on everyone's faces, that should be a picture people will see on the internet and think "Hey, that's some of the world's best actors and actresses and singers all in one place when they were younger."

I finally get finished changing, and come out, expecting to go to my car. But everyone is just standing around.

"What's going on?" I asked Tori.

"Sikowitz wants to say something."

I give her a weird look. Sikowitz isn't one for public speaking or getting sentimental.

Cat dives at me, barely holding back tears. She loved every one of the plays we put on. I'm sure the gravity of the situation is hitting her.

Then Sikowitz walked up. "Ahem…well, I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why I asked you to hang around a bit longer. Well, I have a few things to say. First off, I have seen a lot of good actresses and actors pass through those curtains and put on a show unlike anything I've seen at a professional show. But tonight cemented a legacy for me. This class is the most talented, top to bottom of any I've had the privilege of teaching here in 24 years." Sikowitz began.

"I want to thank you guys. I was thinking about retiring the year after Tori came here. Things had gotten stale, and the quality of actor had decreased to the point it took a lot of work to get everyone ready. But then you guys found a switch I didn't know you had in you. When I said you hit the acting pantheon last year, you were on a level I had only seen once on Broadway, with the play 13. They did everything seamlessly, even though some things went wrong. I think you guys could go do anything you want to in the theater business, and be successful."

"This year has been the most fun out of all of them. And that's how it's going to stay. I'm not going to be teaching at Hollywood Arts next year."

Everyone let out a noise that sounded like a groan. Things are not going to be the same without that crazy man in my life on a daily basis. He's kind of like Cat, how random he is and always makes everyone smile.

"But I'm not done with you guys yet. Because CTC called the other day and asked me if I wanted to tech there next year!"

The room exploded. Numerous people, including Tori and cat, dived at Sikowitz to hug him. Jade seemed stunned. He wasn't going away after all. This transition wasn't going to be so bad because the rapport we've developed will go to CTC with us. Cat looking over her lines, Beck napping, Jade throwing stuff. The other people will have to deal with it because Sikowitz knows us, and knows we are the best. He knows what we can and can't do, and the road to fame just got a lot easier.

A scene of general ecstasy unfolds for about 20 minutes. Everyone celebrating, knowing that most of us will see each other next summer. And then in a whole new school year. Working towards our dreams on stage. Together.

Cat and I drove back home in separate cars. We snacked on leftovers while watching TV, Cat lying her head on my shoulder the whole time.

"Robbie?" Cat asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are things going to be different?"

"At CTC?" I asked.

"I mean overall, after graduation."

"Yeah, but that might not be a bad thing. I mean, do you WANT to write another English paper?"

"NO!" Cat said emphatically.

"Then it's going to change for the better. Promise."

She smiled and snuggled closer to me. Soon the sound of her soft snores filled the room.

A quote filled my head, and it really fit tonight.

"No matter how much things change, they really only stay the same."


	31. Prome

"Just let me adjust it here…" Cat said quietly, fiddling with my tie.

"OW!" I yelped as Cat accidentally yanked on the part that tightens it, quickly making it a noose instead of a tie. "You trying to kill me?" I joked.

"No, if I wanted to do that, it would have happened a looong time ago." She smiled, loosening it up and pecking my cheek.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yep, click it!" She said excitedly.

We both smiled as the camera captured the moment. Again, another thing my parents missed because of Dad's Barca excursion. I don't think they thought about all the moments they are missing out on. Oh well, sucks to be them.

Cat seems to be overjoyed that tonight has finally come. I had been thinking to myself that there was some lingering guilt about last year's Prome disaster, complete with thunderstorm and her lying to my face. She's probably determined to make the best night ever.

She was bouncing on her heels by the door as we were due at Tori's for our group's pictures.

"Relax, it's not like they're going to just leave." I tried reassuring her.

"They could!"

She repeatedly told me to go faster the whole way to Tori's. After once or twice, I said "only if you pay the ticket."

"Ok. Just go faster!"

I obeyed, and luckily there were no police on our route to Tori's.

"Oooh! We're all set kids." Mrs. Vega said as Cat and I walked in the door.

"Wow, you guys look great!" Tori gushed as we made our way over to where she, Beck, and Andre were. Jade was with a guy that was vaguely familiar also by Andre.

Cat blushed and introduced herself to Jade's date? I think that's what he is, he has to be right?

"Everyone ready?"

We all lined up on the stairs, Andre and his date, Cat, Me, Jade and her date, and lastly Beck and Tori at the bottom. Then they took the seemingly obligatory couple photos.

Finally, we were all set for the dinner. Luckily for us, everyone knew how to eat in a formal setting, so we made it through alright. The same cannot be said for Sinjin's "date". She looked vaguely like him, and had clearly never eaten at a nice restaurant.

"That was great." Jade said quietly as we exited.

"Yep." Beck replied.

Some things are just bound to happen, and I have a suspicion…

Hold on, Cat's standing near my car with a piece of paper in her hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked to her frowning face.

"_Have a nice night…"_

She looked up at me after reading that aloud. I just pulled her into a hug.

"They aren't going to mess this up sweetie. We just need to get to school and they will have security there."

"Can you drive fast to get there?" She asked, blinking rapidly.

"On it captain." I smiled, and she replied in kind. We were out of the parking lot first and I wasted no time in pulling into the far corner of the parking lot, away from where the designated parking was.

"Why did you park here? We're supposed to be there." Cat pointed out.

"So the others won't be wondering why we left so fast. Once they start to show, we'll park beside them and say you had to get your camera or something."

"OOH! I had to go to the bathroom!" She said excitedly.

I had to prevent myself from laughing at the sight of her happy face. "Whatever floats your boat."

We sat quietly in the corner of the dark parking lot. I was just starting to get comfortable when something randomly tried to get on top of me.

"AAAHHHHHHHH!" I yelped, trying to get away. I refocused to see Cat, looking at me terrified.

"Oh. It's you sunshine. Grief, please don't scare me like that girl. I thought you were about to mug me."

"Sorry." She said in a small voice, lowering herself into my arms. I hugged her softly, which I realized that I completely enveloped her.

_Wow, I had never realized she's so…small. Her personality makes it seem like we're the same height, and she never backs down from a challenge._

She quietly whimpered into my chest.

"Shh…just relax sweetie. Just hug me. Tonight is going to be wonderful, please just give it some time."

"Everything is going to be ok?" She asked quietly.

"I promise tonight is going to be wonderful. Everything you dreamed of."

We settled into a comfortable silence.

"Cat?"

"Uh huh?"

"Please don't freak, but I probably shouldn't have said tonight will be everything you have dreamed of."

"Why?" She asked in wonder.

"I have no idea what you want tonight to be."

"Oh." She replied, then everything went quiet again.

"If we both have fun tonight, and we dance and party it up, we don't even have to be king and queen, just as long as tonight is memorable and I dance the last song with you, then I'll be happy."

I smiled. "Well then, I guess I can promise that." I smiled.

The look on her face is the one I strive to see on a daily basis, and what I fought so hard for last year. The look in her eyes that says that she completely believes me, and knows I won't let her down.

We just kind of sat there, enjoying the close physical proximity.

Red taillights made my spirits sink. "Time to party it up sunshine." I said flatly, causing her to giggle and swat my arm.

"Your sarcasm is so funny." She smiled, straightening out her dress.

We rejoined the others, as they all bought Cat's bathroom excuse for me peeling out so quickly. I swear Jade smirked, but she'd understand.

Hollywood Arts had clearly pulled out ALL the stops. Confetti cannons, tons of games, it had kind of a carnival or street fair vibe, but not in a bad way. Just lots of excitement and smiling faces. Cat proved to be very good at throwing darts at balloons to win stuffed animals.

She just won her second animal. And for some reason is looking at the prizes, and not picking one. She already got a giraffe, and I assumed she was going for the walrus, since she loves them, but…

Suddenly Cat snapped up the large penguin and walked towards me with the stuffed animal. Then just as she reached me, she had the penguin poke me with its nose.

I laughed and smiled. "Why did you not pick the walrus?"

"Well, I saw the penguin right after I won the first time, and I know you love them. You are always giving me stuff; I just wanted to give you something." She said, grabbing my hand at the end.

My heart practically melted. "You didn't have too…Cat!"

"I'm not giving it back, it's all yours."

I took both animals to my car, and returned to see a large crowd converging.

"They're about to announce the King and Queen. Then the music will start." Jade explained.

_Makes sense. I guess._

"Who's ready for Hollywood Arts' New Prome King and Queen?" Some guy called out.

The crowd let out a big cheer.

"Ok, without further ado, the new Prome King and Queen are…"

Somebody did the classic drumroll, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Beck Oliver and Cat Valentine!"

The crowd let out a huge cheer, but the six of us had frozen.

_Beck? And Cat? Who voted for THAT? What about Beck and Tori? Or even Jade?_

After a moment, and a shove from somebody in the crowd, the two of them went up to the balcony to take their places.

I chanced a glance at Tori, who was glancing at me, looking like someone had hit her over the head. Jaw slightly agape, and looking at me.

I kind of feel how she looks.

Cat and Beck received their crowns without incident, and made their way down to the dance floor, as I slow song started up. . I watched as, following tradition, the King and Queen shared a dance to themselves.

I would tell you how I felt, but I didn't feel anything. My heart was ice, and my brain simply wasn't working. Again, Tori looked how I felt, just totally out of it.

Finally, the song ended and other couples could take the floor. I couldn't get Cat back, again due to tradition.

So, I just acted impulsively. I strode over to Jade and stuck out my hand. She looked at my hand, then to me and smiled slightly.

We walked over to the dance floor following Tori and Andre.

"I can't believe it." She muttered as we started dancing.

"I can't either."

"This…isn't how this was supposed to be. It was supposed to be me and Kevin, with Cat and you and Beck and Vega."

"I know." I replied. She sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. The smell of perfume wafted to me.

"Are you wearing perfume?" I asked, half amused. She immediately went red.

"Yeah…do you like it?" She asked, sounding apprehensive.

"Yeah, it's just not very Jade of you."

"Oh really." She smirked, raising her head to look at me. "What does it fit better?"

"Jadelynn." I smirked, knowing she would like nothing better than to playfully push me, but couldn't because of the setting.

"Oh, you are so paying for that one _Robert_. You are not calling me that and getting away with it." She said darkly, a smile playing on her face.

"Really now? I'd really like to see you try Jadelynn." I said, deliberately pushing her buttons.

Then a funny thing happened. She laughed. It's not that she doesn't laugh; she does, all the time. It's just that the laugh that came out I haven't heard since we went to the beach all that time ago.

A childish laugh, half giggle, half crying it was so funny. It just came out, and again, I saw something I hadn't seen in a long time. Her dimple. It isn't very noticeable, but it's there alright. She tends to hide it, like Cat and her freckles.

"You are a charmer Robbie. You really are." She commented, smiling.

"Why thank you."

I barely had time to register the last few notes of the song before something unbelievably soft touched my cheek. And my head went numb again.

_She kissed me._

Then, before I had recovered, THUD! Cat was back, hugging me tightly.

"Hi." She said, like she was introducing herself. I wrapped my hands around her waist, and she did the same around my neck.

"Hey there stranger. Or should I say Queen Valentine?" I quipped, aiming for a giggle and a smile.

Instead she replied "No, let's go with Shapiro. Queen Shapiro."

It was my turn to smile at her, and her eyes twinkled.

"I can live with that." I replied.

We started swaying to the new song. I gasped, and tears started going down Cat's cheeks fast and furiously. I didn't stop them, and I had no reason to.

"A million raindrops…upon your face…tears disappear…without a trace…A million raindrops…follow you home… they travel with you…so you're not alone…no need, to run for cover. Just spread your arms and let them kiss your face…"

(A/N: Now, who knows where THAT song is from? Anybody who saw that live, and they also saw the preceding scenes are LYING if they say they weren't crying. It was so good, I just had to incorporate that somewhere, and it just fit here.)


	32. Sunrise

(A/N: To everyone who guessed "A Million Raindrops" from Zoey 101, you are CORRECT! Congratulations! You win…nothing. I very sowwy, but I will be getting the last 3 chaps after this one up VERY FAST. I have everything mapped out, and I might just release it all in 1 massive update day. Unless you want some time to digest stuff. That's cool too. Feedback is wonderful because I love getting to know my readers and in the end, this is for YOU. It's so much easier to write when there's audience involvement, and I want to do this how you guys want it. One last note, today's the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I am unbelievably humbled after seeing the site this summer, and I hope today is a healing day. We will never forget. God bless you all :))

_She wasn't all that happy you know. You can't make a single person happy._

I swear, he feasts on me trying to enjoy a moment. I managed to stave him off at prom and later on that night, but he has come back last night at dinner and now here while I'm trying to enjoy the sunset.

After prome, everyone scattered. Tori and Beck…I don't know what happened. They just went somewhere. Kevin didn't like how that night went, so he left and Jade was quickly accompanied out the door by Andre.

Cat and I followed thru on our plan to stay on the outskirts of Los Padres National Forest. But she's not there right now. Cat and some guy that works for my dad are meeting and for "legal reasons" I cannot be there since I have a blood connection to the founder and "could possibly do something for my personal gain." Stupid SEC, like I'm going to defraud my own girlfriend.

Anyway, she's in Santa Barbara and I'm happily watching the sun rise here on a cliff in a beautiful forest.

Wait…Cat is my fiancé. Man! I really need to pound that into my thick head. Cat is on her way to marrying me. Wow.

The sound of footsteps on the ground wakes me from my reverie.

"Jade?" I asked, surprised.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" She asked, two cups of coffee in her hands.

"Absolutely not, you know that." I smiled softly and she sat next to me.

"So how was your prome night?" She said with a smirk.

_Let's just say we worked ourselves to sleep…_

"It was ok, Cat fell asleep."

_At 4 in the morning and right on top of me!_

"So no…" Jade trailed off.

"I'm not gonna lie. We did, but then she fell asleep." 

She looked mildly irked, and then worried. "Do I have to worry about which onesies I need to buy for Cat?"

"No, we're not going to take that step. Not yet anyway." I reassured her

After a moment of silence, I added "She wants her own apartment."

Jade spewed out her coffee. "WHAT?"

"She doesn't want to be completely dependant on me or be too close for too long."

"I get the dependant thing, but you guys can't be 'too close'."

"I agree, but some space might be healthy. That might be why we've had the occasional argument."

Jade just looked mellow. "Those arguments must have been terrible."

"They were. I felt like my heart was being torn apart."

Again…we just sipped our coffee in silence. "Congrats on the book." She smiled.

Now THAT'S something to be happy about. The publishing company published it without my name on it. Now that isn't such a bad thing, I get my share of the proceeds without the fame or infamy if it flopped.

But it didn't. It is KILLING it. Number 2 on NY Times Bestsellers list, after only 2 weeks. I'm raking in the cash. I'm trying to let it not go to my head. I do need a new car though….

Just kidding.

"Thanks, the publishers keep feeding me positive feedback about the book and my style. Stuff like 'It's so realistic! This has to be a true story' or 'The turns are so real!' It's amazing."

"Hmm. That sounds like they like how everything ended."

"I like how it ended too." I smiled.

The last scene is the speech I made to the middle school kids. It seemed like a nice stopping point.

"Any idea where Beck and Tori went?" I asked Jade.

"No, nothing after they fled from school."

"Andre?"

"Now that is some big news. At the Deka party apparently he met some people ready to finance that company he wants to, and allow him to go to school."

"That's awesome!" I exclaim.

"I know, we really need to actually go to something he's at to see what the buzz is all about." Jade said as the sun peeked out of the first trees.

"We do."

"I'm glad he hasn't pushed the issue, but he's probably dying for us to see what's up." Jade said, reminding me how perceptive she really is. She notices the most detail out of anyone I've ever known.

"Why'd you kiss me?" I asked suddenly, causing her to freeze.

"I…" She spit out.

"I'm not exactly sure. I just…did it. If that makes any sense."

"_I sat on the edge of her bed. "Cat…I'd love to go." Her face perked up with unabashed joy._

_Oh god, this is going to kill her inside._

_"But as your friend. Even as your best friend, if you'll let me." I finished. Her face fell and she slowly put her head back into her pillow._

_I heard what sounded like her sob, then respond by saying "Ok…"_

_Ok, I can't take it anymore._

_"Cat, can you sit up and close your eyes?" I asked, and she obliged, wiping her eyes like a small child._

_Here goes nothing…_

_I closed the gap between us, gently kissing her, as opposed to her kiss, which was passion filled and rough. I felt her gasp slightly and link her hands around my neck. She fell back into me, knocking me onto her pillows. I wrapped my arms around her petite waist and we stayed like that for a moment. Then, I decided I had to break it off because she sure wasn't going to._

I know exactly what she means. I still don't know why I did that, just glad that I did looking back.

"I know, that kind of thing was how Cat and I started."

Jade practically fell over and looked at me, shocked. "What? You never explained, just that things just clicked."

"Well, that is what happened, then Cat said she had been having nightmares about hitting me with her SUV and killing me. I calmed her down, and then she impulsively kissed me and asked me to the movies like a date."

"So—"

"Not done, I said not like a date, but friends. She seemed about to explode and cry, but I chanced kissing her, and that's where it all started."

Jade was silent. "So when you said you 'threw her up against the wall', in reality she started it, and you finished it."

"Exactly."

Jade smiled. "You guys have the craziest relationship ever."

"Hey! It's working isn't it?"

"It is, is definitely is." Jade said quietly.


	33. Fire Hiss and Cauldron Bubble

Murmuring oh murmuring… how it follows me everywhere. At first, it was annoying, but this kind of general talking of a large group isn't annoying at all. Today's…yearbook day. The last day. At Hollywood Arts.

Every member of our graduating class of 49 is chatting away. Most will move on to normal college or HCC. I normally envisioned today being a very bad day. Tons of crying and hugs, but since all my friends plus me (I know, I'll explain in a sec) are sticking together, today is kind of like last year.

Except we won't have to deal with the day to day stress that Hollywood Arts gave us. I'll be happy to be rid of Helen, and so much homework, and 7 consecutive classes. Now we can pick and choose our friends, and our schedules, and seriously, no more attempting to be friendly to Sinjin. I cannot emphasize how happy I am about that.

So we're just hanging out, after our last classes (Sikowitz burst into tears) in the foyer. We all don't want to leave, but still want to at the same time. It's…hard to describe. I can't say I'll miss any teachers other than Sikowitz, who's coming with us to CTC. I think it's all 4 years we put in here. The countless hours, and the blood, sweat and tears that led us to today. The culmination, what we gave to Hollywood Arts itself.

The last cast picture is in the trophy case, along with another copy signed by all of us. The caption: Thanks for the memories.

But more will be made! Following Cat's heated suggestion, I decided to go to CTC, partly to appease her, but I also received some anonymous reviews that were very glowing of my skills. So, with that self confidence in tow, I told USC and UCLA that I was no longer interested. Both tried valiantly to get me to go there (Another confidence boost), USC even offered to pay my FULL tuition. But money has never been, and certainly isn't now, a problem. Such is the attitude when your family makes millions and you now are a millionaire personally.

Meanwhile, with that in the foreground, I am worried. Cat is shrinking from me after she saw the letter that congratulated me on my portion of the sales from the book. I don't know WHY? Why would me getting my own money change ANYTHING? I still love her to pieces, and my world would crumble without her. I love her, but she is driving me nuts. I'm trying to not let it show for her sake, but I haven't slept well in the week since Prome.

Suddenly, the volume level in here quiets down as people with dollies cart in the laptops. Cat, Beck, Jade, Andre and Tori emerge from somewhere and start rifling through the books. When they come up for air, everyone has one, except for Cat, who has 2.

"Why'd you buy two?" I asked Cat, who looked mildly happy walking over.

"I didn't. This is yours." She smiled. I take mine and kiss her hair.

"Thanks sunshine."

"Eeep." She said, moving towards me and away from Tori and Beck. They are…whoa.

I swear, the tension between them is visible. Good lord. They look ready to explode. It's just an icy silence.

Jade, Andre and Cat are rifling through the good sized yearbook. The other two are just quiet, occasionally flipping a page, but the anger is evident.

"OOH!" Cat exclaimed, pulling me over to look at her book, which was open to a picture of all of us, standing arm in arm in the hallway, smiling. I remember that day, it was a good day. Just like most of this year.

"That's a good picture." I said softly. Jade leaned over and nodded her ascent.

"How'd they figure that out?" Andre asked indignantly.

"What?" Tori asked, speaking for the first time, sounding hoarse.

"They somehow figured out that I'm doing the DJ thing." He said bitterly.

"How's that bad?" Beck asked, provoking a glare from Tori. Sparks practically flew.

Good lord, they are furious at each other.

"I don't want everyone knowing that I'm—"

Suddenly, Beck dragged Tori away quickly with their yearbooks.

"What's with them?" Cat asked in their absence.

"Obviously fighting, why though?" I wondered.

"Something big, that is why Tori's hoarse." Jade said.

"I hope they get it sorted out." Andre said, just as Beck and Tori suddenly came back into the scene.

"Anybody up for signing yearbooks?" Tori said peppily.

Everyone agreed quickly. And swapped yearbooks.

Here's what I wrote to each person.

Andre-" Dude! It seems like yesterday when we did ballet to get girls, and now look at us! You are crushing the DJ scene, and I can't be happier. I seriously need to go to one of your parties in order to see what the fuss is about ;)

But seriously man, you have been such a solid guy, and a awesome friend and I can't think of the last 4 years without you man. Thanks so much.

Tori- "Hey there superstar! You are so talented as an actress and singer, and I am so convinced that you will hit it big, that I can't wait to say "I know the famous Tori Vega."

Keep Making it Shine Tor, you are going to do wonderfully.

Beck- "Beck, seriously, how DO you get your hair so awesomely? You never told me. But that's beside the point. The point of this is for me to say how thankful I am for you to be my friend. You are such a reliable guy, and I can't thank you enough for helping me get with Cat.

I hope to be able to repay you for everything, but if I can't just know I am indebted to you in ways I doubt you know. Thanks man.

Jade- Oh Jadelynn (You know I couldn't resist) I cannot find the words to say how awesome a person you are, how funny you are, how amazing a friend you are, and how much I care about you.

I could say that I can't envision my life without you, but you know that. So I'll settle for this. All those memories we have of our childhood together, and certainly those over the last year are priceless to me.

My parents adore you, Cat loves you like a sister, and you are my best friend in the whole world. I pray that we never drift apart, and you are apart of my life forever.

And last, but not least, I received Cat's with shaking hands.

"Hey there sunshine. Right now you are looking at someone's yearbook, and thinking with your sharpie cap in your teeth.

You asked me a few days ago why I think you are so amazing. I told you that I love you, I just think it. Well, I got a better answer, and you deserve a better one.

I think everything about you is amazing. From your wonderful and soft hair right down to your ticklish feet. You're always happy, but that is belied by a little girl inside that is worried about what people think of her. Even that, the fact that you have more to you than just what you show the world astounds me. You have so many qualities that shine out, and it makes my day.

You know I'm not great with words, and you let me go when I say something dumb, and just hug me softly. So I'll just say this, and hope it covers all the bases I can't think of right now.

When I gave you that ring, and you asked if you earned it, you made me wonder. After all, you are the most perfect thing I have ever seen, why can't you see that? It could be that you have some bad family experiences and that degrades your view of yourself. Well, I hope to erase all the hate in your life and replace it with love.

I love you with all of my heart and my everything sunshine :)

Cat is the last person with someone's yearbook, handing it to me and wiping her eyes. I follow everybody else's lead and read what the others wrote.

" Robbie my man! You are such a reliable guy, and I can always count on you in a tight spot! I'm so happy for you and Cat, since you make each other so happy. Just keep the faith with acting and it will pay off, promise man." –Beck

"Man, I can't say enough about how you and Cat made this one of the best years of my life. Your happiness makes everything and everyone better. Anytime you need something, don't hesitate to come to me, I got your back man."- Andre

"Hey there handsome! You've changed so much since I first came here, and every bit of it is wonderful. It's always fun around you, and seeing Cat so happy is absolutely wonderful. Thanks for making this year so wonderful." –Tori

"Robbie, time sure does fly doesn't it? I wouldn't trade a minute of it either, and that's because you are the best guy I know. You are such a good friend, and always shrug it off when someone criticizes your work. I probably take you for granted, but I can't thank you enough for just being you, and my best friends for all these years. Love always."- Jade

The rest is blank.

_Where's Cat's?_ I wonder flipping the page.

_There it is._ It's taking up the whole page in her curly handwriting.

"Robbie…I have no idea what to write, the magnitude of all this seems to make my brain blank. But I'm going to try, and I know you'll enjoy it.

All this stuff that's gone on with my ex-boyfriends to my family, to you taking responsibility at home has made you such a stronger person in such a short time. It's been amazing to watch you go from afraid to admit you want to kiss me to proposing after having sex with me. This has been the best year ever, and I can never say thank you and I love you enough to emphasize that.

I can't wait for us to live out the rest of our lives, with you by my side, loving all of my quirks and random moments.

Love,

Cat"

I look up to see only Cat staying with me. "I…where'd everyone go?"

Just then a heard an explosion of yelling.

"Tori and Beck stormed off, and Andre and Jade are trying to separate them." She said following my lead as I headed toward the noise.

"I DON'T CARE! You should LISTEN MORE!" Tori screamed as we reached them. Cat shrunk behind me. My heart sunk. I had a feeling I knew what was coming.

Andre looked apprehensive, and Jade was frozen in front of me. I stood by Jade, and Cat was behind us.

"That doesn't mean you can just make me do what you WANT! It's a two way street you know!" Beck yelled back.

Jade looked at me with fear in her eyes. We know what is coming.

"Not if one person is taking and not giving anything!"

"I AM Giving! You can't see that if you just look at it one way!"

"ARE YOU calling me SELFISH?" Tori howled.

"Sometimes, yes! The stuff you say is just ridiculous sometimes!"

Tori is silent. I briefly hear Cat sob quietly behind me before I hear the worst.

"We're through Beck." Tori said icily.

"Fine by me! One less thing to worry about!"

Beck stormed off to his car, and Tori turns and collapsed into Andre's arms. Jade dashed off to catch beck, ready to be there for him.

I am just numb. Hands over my mouth, wishing I hadn't seen it coming. The sound of Cat sobbing wakes me to her distress and I turn to her crawling into my arms, crying her eyes out.

I signal to Andre that we're going home, and I can stop by to comfort Tori if she needs it, then carry Cat to my car, where Cat is still bawling.

It continues softly until we get home and she collapses into my bed, pulling me with her.

"This isn't supposed to happen!" She cried out.

I don't know what to say other than "I know baby. I know." And kiss her hair as she cries.

"Does this mean we aren't going to see one of them since we're going to CTC?"

"I hope not sweetie, I really do. If they can do what Beck and Jade did, that would be wonderful."

That seems to calm her, and we watch TV together until about 8:30, when my phone buzzes with a message from Andre.

_Tori wants to talk._

I replied "Be there in 10."

Actually, it took 6 minutes, but who's counting.

When I entered, Andre ushered me upstairs to her room, with the door closed.

_Talk about déjà vu._

"Tori?" I knocked, calling out.

"Come in!"

I entered to a neat and tidy room, with the exception of Kleenex scattered around Tori's bed and Tori herself, sprawled out on the bed.

"Sorry about the mess." She said throatily.

"Don't worry. How are you Tori? That was…" I stop myself.

"Terrible, but you knew that." She smiled.

"I'm really really sorry." I said sincerely.

"It's ok. I want to ask you something."

"Ask away Tori." I smile, causing her to return it.

"Should I just burn the bridge with beck, or try to stay friends?"

"Stay friends, just look at him and Jade, they broke up and are really close. You don't want to lose him do you?" I asked.

"No…you sound right. I see what Cat said when she said you always know what to say."

I chuckled. "Not really, I just get lucky."

Tori looked me right in the face, "Eventually, even luck runs out, and you are way past that point. You have a talent."

Both of us are silent. Suddenly, there are footsteps outside her door.

Knocking…

"Tori? Can I come in?"

Beck.

I fistbump Tori and quietly exit, stopping only to say "Good luck."

Please…let this work. I just want to get back to my fiancé.


	34. Double Double Toil and Trouble

The opposite bedroom is so…empty. It's such a weird feeling looking in the door and seeing empty. There's always been an occupant, but now Cat's got her own apartment.

We moved most of her stuff over last week, but she's still stationed here. Thankfully, I might add. She told me she didn't want me to get sick of her, so she put a bit of space just in case we fight and she doesn't feel right here. That's ok, but I always want her to feel comfortable, after seeing how she thrives in a calm situation.

Tori and Andre have come up with a new Make it Shine remix that they want to show everyone here. Jade will be coming with Beck, more on that in a moment and of course Cat and I don't have to go anywhere since they are coming to my house.

Beck…and Tori are trying to mend things back to the point of friendship. It's proving to me much more difficult than Beck and Jade, but this was a tough break up, the screamy type. They have gone to dinner together twice without incident, and they were laughing their heads off at multiple jokes. How do I know? All you need to know is that I WASN'T playing referee on Jade's behalf.

Anyway, Cat on jumping around jamming to All I Want is Everything in her socks. She did a awesome cameo of Tori in BFB earlier with the Rock Band Slide. It was very smooth, and I had to prevent myself from falling over laughing. After all, that can easily be confused for laughing at her.

Just as Cat hits the main chorus, the others walk in smiling. I signal for them to wait a second and join in with Cat in totally jamming out. I doubt she heard their muffled laughter or even knew they were there.

After the song ended, and Cat hugged me—

"AAAHHH! When did you get there?" Cat cried out, indignant. Everyone except her burst out laughing.

"We just walked in to you guys jamming out. Good job with the guitar." Tori smiled.

Cat simply blushed, looking down and moved her hair to the side.

"You can really dance sweetie." Beck smiled, causing Cat to hug him softly. Tori…didn't mind by the look on her face.

"OK! Let's get this jam party going, you got it ready?"

Tori hit the Computer, and the music stated to play. It took no time at all for everyone to be bobbing their heads and clapping softly.

"Niiiice." I complimented after Tori held "Shine" for like 8 seconds. The sound ended shortly afterward.

"That is awesome!" Beck complimented, seemingly sincerely as Cat hugged her and I started it again.

Talk about a awesome song, they just need to do a full length version and it will be amazing. Man she has talent.

"Did you guys hear that?" Jade asked suddenly.

We all are quiet, straining to listen for any noises out of the ordinary. Nothing comes to us though, and Jade said "I swear I heard other footsteps."

"It's ok, thanks for paying attention." I said, causing a slight smile from her.

"How about we get some more music going?" Andre asked. He put on some music I didn't recognize.

"So you're all moved in Cat?" Tori asked.

Cat nodded. "Yeah, some space will be healthy."

_Yeah, you THINK THAT. It might not be the truth._

"Hey!" Jade said suddenly. "Aren't your parents coming in today?"

"They are, with tons of stuff too apparently according to mom." I told her.

"For good?" Tori asked.

"Uh Huh." I replied.

"That'll be nice to have some more company." Beck said.

"You must have missed them." Andre mused.

_Yeah, I miss the hug from my mom. Mom hugs are…different. I don't know._

My thoughts are shattered by a blood curdling scream and my realization for the briefest of moments that I am airborne before I hit the Island very hard.

Cat turned and slapped a masked figure, ripping off his ski mask.

_OH MY GOD._

The person who tackled me took of his ski mask and threw it aside.

_Michael. And Colton._

Everyone is frozen in shock, but then Beck and Andre charged Michael, who threw both off and grabbed me by the throat.

Cat ran to me, but Colton grabbed her and started towards the door. But then he was on the floor.

I was too busy getting away from Michael's death grip. "Nice to see your face this time." I snipped, loosening his grip so needed oxygen can get to me.

"It's not going to matter." He said darkly, unsheathing a pair of box cutters.

I glance to Colton, who seems to be getting ganged up on by everyone except Tori and Cat, who are running to the door.

"Yeah it IS!" I yelled, twisting Michael's knee and causing him to crumple to the floor and release me. I ran past the others and yelled to Tori "Call your dad! They have box cutters!"

As if on cue, a pair skidded to my feet. I quickly grabbed them and heaved them out the open window and into the street.

A grunt causes me to turn around. Colton has freed himself and Andre is clutching his wrist by the stove.

I barely have time to register how insane he looks before someone; I think Tori yelled "DUCK!"

I hit the floor, and a sickening sound rings out, followed by Colton falling to the floor in a heap.

I hop up to see Cat holding a gigantic pan in a follow thru position, looking down at Colton with disgust.

"Did you just do that?" I asked, incredulous. Cat simply nodded.

"Thanks sunshine." I say before Jade shrieked and Colton was free again.

Cat took a massive swing at him, hitting his arm but knocking it out of her hands. Then he just ran off.

Beck and I chased him, but lost him out in the street. We walked back and everyone was breathing heavy.

"They…" Andre started, supporting himself on the island.

"Were waiting…" Beck gasped.

"for us." I finished.

But then the back window exploded, and there he was again.

_Can you PLEASE get here soon?_ I prayed, I was aching all over and breathing wasn't easy.

Michael clearly had regrouped and immediately threw his box cutters at me. I dodged them and they got lodged in the wall.

Jade charged, only to be tripped and was sprawled out. Tori grabbed Cat and started off again, but Colton popped up again.

In a flash, I heard a metallic sound and saw Cat hit the floor. Tori screamed and kicked him in the jaw, and he collapsed next to Cat.

All my thoughts were on Cat, that is until something very solid hit me in the face.

Michael, of course.

Andre was helpless, grabbing his wrist and trying to leg whip Michael. Beck ended up on the table, and Jade was still on the floor.

All I knew to do was inflict pain on Michael. His attention was on Beck, and I hammered him with a punch.

We missed each other with punches, and then he charged me.

Next thing I knew—

"CRRRAAASSSHH!"

Then I heavily landed on the lawn. He sent me THRU the kitchen window. And landed on top of me.

I immediately picked him up and whacked him again. Blood went everywhere, and he responded by breaking my glasses into my face, causing me to let him go.

He stood intimidatingly above me. Then, he was just…gone.

"AAH!"

Wait…he was tackled. By…oh god.

My Dad.

The two of them are fiercely going at it. Michael kicked out, and Dad grabbed his leg and dangled him. I hopped up and nailed him in the ribs with a brutal roundhouse kick.

Then there was an explosion of noise. Police sirens and everything.

"FREEEZE!" A familiar voice yelled. My dad and I dived away from Michael, who made a break for it.

Mr. Vega caught him in 3 steps.

Boom. In police car, getting his rights read to him by an officer. My parents dove for me, and sobbed, crying they were so happy that I was ok.

"We pulled up, and you went thru the window…and…" My mom said quickly before hugging my dad.

I looked to the paramedics, who were already tending to Andre and Beck.

"Where's Cat?"

"Ambulance sir, they took her to Mercy for evaluation. She was knocked out."

I moved to my car, but Mr. Vega basically forced me to get sorted out at Mercy as well.

The wait was…agonizing. Or maybe that was them fixing my nose and the cuts around my eyes. The doctors were amazed one person did all this damage.

Finally they released me, and I sprinted to the room my dad gave me during my cleanup that he said Cat was in.

I threw open the door, and looked to her.

She was lying on a bed, eyes closed peacefully.

Then I realized I wasn't alone. Tori's parents, my own, Jade, and Tori.

"She can't wake up."

My heart sunk. And froze over.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.

"She is still unconscious. No damage, she just needs to wake up and then she can leave." Tori's mom answered.

I just looked at Cat, who looked like she does when she falls asleep in front of the TV.

"Go home son. Get cleaned up and drive back. She should be ok by then." My dad told me, and I obeyed.

The ride back with Tori was silent. I would have liked to talk, but I doubt she thought she should speak, and might not have known what to say.

So we were quiet.

I took my time cleaning up, new clothes, my back up glasses and a much needed shower. I felt a lot better, and drove over feeling vaguely optimistic.

I walked into the hospital wing where everyone was, and saw everyone waiting, then seeing me and standing.

"Guys…" I said, seeing Beck with a gigantic bandage and Andre with his arm in a sling.

"Don't worry Robbie. We kept everyone safe. It's all over now." Beck said.

Then Jade hugged me. "You're ok…you're ok…"

Then she quickly let me go and everyone backed up.

Cat was just standing there, looking slightly punch-drunk, but still tackled me and hugged me tightly.

The others quickly left as Cat cried softly.

"Cat…" I said softly, just relieved she was still functional. I would have taken concussed Cat over disabled Cat.

She was fine.

Somehow I held it together as she said "You saved me…all that stuff, getting sent thru the window…Thank You." She looked at me with admiration in her face.

It took about an hour to talk to everyone, saying we were going home, and to get the release papers. Finally, when we got in the car, it was 9 at night.

I just drove quietly for a while. She laid her head back on the headrest.

Then, "Are you ok?" I asked her.

"Yeah, don't worry about me Robbie. I'm fine. Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, just sore."

"No, seriously. How are you feeling Robbie?" She said insistently.

"I'm ok sweetie, I told you." I said, slightly annoyed at her insistence.

"Robbie, you better not be just saying you're ok, you better BE ok." She said heatedly.

"I'm FINE Cat. Jeez, quit be so paranoid. I'm sorry for hiding that stuff and it came back to bite me. I kind of deserved this."

"Do NOT say that! They are psycho! You just defended me, and I am NOT paranoid! I just love you!" She said loudly.

"Cat, you worry too much. I told you I'm FINE! That means I am fine!Can you just take that for what it is?" I asked, quickly getting very mad.

"I would, except for that you lied to me about this kind of thing before!"

"How about you just TRUST me?" I asked her.

"I could ask the same thing! You don't tell me everything, how CAN I trust you?"

"You love me! Is that a good enough reason?" I snapped, pulling into a random parking lot.

"It is if you trust me!" Cat replied flippantly.

"I do trust you Cat, I just think you worry too much!"

"Well stop worrying about my worrying!" Cat replied.

"No! You can't ask me to do that!"

"Why not?" Cat asked, hitting the dash in fury.

"I care about you too much! I can't just not worry about you!"

"Well neither can I!"

"Did I ask you?"

"Why do you care?"

"Why? Why do you ask?"

"I love you! You are the most important thing to me!" I snapped.

"I'm not perfect Robbie, WHY do you say that!"

"Because to me, you are!" I said heatedly.

"Well you are wrong! I don't know why you love me so much!"

"Because I love everything about you, I wish you would see that!"

"Are you calling me psycho?" She shrieked, kicking…something.

"No! I just wish you wouldn't worry as much!"

"What if that is natural to me?"

"Well, I'll snap you out of it."

"Says Mr. Perfect himself." She snapped.

My blood chilled and my temper flared.

"What the HELL does that mean?"

"You aren't perfect Robbie! You constantly fawning on me makes me sick, and sometimes I wish WE weren't together!"

I froze. Those words just rattled in my head.

_I wish WE weren't together!_

I laid my head on the steering wheel and took several deep breaths. I think I'm going to throw up.

It was quiet for a minute, and I realize what is going to happen next.

"This isn't going to work…is it?" I asked quietly, looking at Cat.

Tears were streaking down her cheeks. She looked the worst I've ever seen her.

She just nodded as tears silently fell.

A sob escaped me as I felt a few tears seep out. I just kept my head on the wheel as I tried to compose myself.

Eventually I got us home. We both trudged thru the empty house in silence.

I left the room as she changed. I walked back in to see the promise ring on my table, and the engagement ring in her hands.

"What…what am I supposed to do with it?"

I leaned over and handed her the box it came in. A few tears seeped out as she put it back.

Then she stood. "Do I have to leave tonight?"

"You don't have to." I said stiffly.

She pulled me onto my bed. "I…don't want to be without you Robbie. Even though we aren't together."

"I'm not going anywhere Cat. I'll still be here for you, I just won't…"

_Say I love you._

We fell asleep like that, me holding onto her and her crying softly.


	35. Back to December

Breathe in, and out…the silence is unnerving me, but it shouldn't. It's been quiet for a couple of days now. No cheery texts, no random hugs, no…I don't even know. All I know is that I'm…single.

I don't even know what the heck happened.

"_You aren't perfect Robbie! You constantly fawning on me makes me sick, and sometimes I wish WE weren't together!"_

Well, I take that back. That happened. I do know I made more than a few mistakes, but I treated her with love, and apparently she didn't like that.

And now…we've got to keep the appearance for everyone at Tori's. It's just another acting exercise…just we're lying to everyone. I don't even know when we're going to tell them about what happened, Cat left after breakfast with my parents the next morning. She said she was going to do some casting calls for the next few days, and after my mom said that she was welcome to have a nice meal with my parents anytime.

I have been looking for my own place, away from where Cat is living. I've kind of gone on a spending spree after finding out the IRS was going to tax me a ridiculous percentage if my bank account didn't drop below 3 million. The book is still making waves, and numerous news agencies are worried about a Harper Lee type situation that nobody ever finds out who I am. Right now I'm at some expensive jewelry for my parents, a new car for me, along with some stuff for everyone, including Cat.

I texted her that I was going to buy her some stuff, and that it was NOT an attempt to get back with her. What was her response?

I'm still waiting. Actually, that isn't right. I'm not waiting. I've already bought it, and she's getting some nice makeup.

Suddenly I hear two soft knocks on my door. Cat poked her head in and said "Hey."

"Hey sunsh—Cat." I smiled, but her face fell.

I quickly seized the moment to atone for my mistake. "Cat, we need to talk about…how we're going to do this."

Her face seemed set. "Ok." And then she sat on the edge of my bed.

"First, let me ask this ok?" She nodded.

"Do you hate me?"

"NO!" She hopped up, immediately grabbing my arm and tears springing into her eyes. "I don't hate you Robbie…please don't leave me."

"Huh?"

"I need you in my life, even if we aren't…together."

"Oh. Well, do you mind if I call you sunshine?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

My spirits fell. "Ok. Umm…do you want me to not be around when you want to see my parents?"

"Not right now…no."

"Ok. I'm ready whenever you are." I said robotically.

_It's like saying get out of my life but stay close if I need you. That's not FAIR._

We exited the house and hopped in our respective cars. I am simply hoping this goes well enough that nobody sees what really happened. It would shatter everyone's hearts.

It wasn't somebody else this time. It was each other. Cat and Robbie are why we aren't together anymore.

Man, this is going to take some serious getting used to.

"Hello!" Cat greeted cheerfully as we walked in the door. Jade and Andre were sitting at the table eating Fro-Yo, and Beck and Tori…were talking by the piano, making what looked to be nice conversation.

"How's it going?" Andre called out.

"It's goooooood." Cat smiled cheerfully.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We're just talking, sitting, relaxing…you should try it, it's very fun." Beck smirked, lounging out on the couch now.

"OK!" Cat exclaimed, jumping into Beck's lap.

I saw Jade's eyes briefly widen, then a quick glance to me. I avoided her eye contact.

"Why so bouncy today?" Tori asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Just happy!" Cat replied, hugging Beck then getting off of him. He looked too happy for his own good, and his face fell once he saw my face.

No point in hiding anger since that would be natural.

"So how's the musica coming?" I changed topics, asking Tori.

"Umm, it's ok. Haven't worked on anything since school ended. I kind of want to just enjoy this summer."

I nodded slowly, and then she punched my arm.

"OW!" I yelled. "Why?" I asked her.

"It hit number 1!" She then tackled me into a hug.

"I forgot, yeah!" Andre said quickly, hopping out of his chair and hugging me once Tori released me. Beck did the same after Andre relinquished me.

"So how does it feel to be so successful?" Jade smiled at me as Cat hugged me softly, like she was asking me not to leave with said hug.

"I don't know, not much has changed, just my bank account. I'm still the same guy." I shrugged.

"That's good; we don't want you to become Trina." Tori said, which earned a glare from her passing mother.

I eased the tension by waving my hand, and she smiled in return. The Vega's have an open door at any time and are very hospitable. They are the best.

Plus they saved everyone at my house, so I guess I could be thankful for that too.

Suddenly Cat's phone rang out.

"Hello…YES!...That's wonderful!...I'll be right over, bye!"She said, hanging up.

"I got something!" She yelled over her shoulder, sprinting out the door.

After the door slammed shut Andre asked "Shouldn't you be going too?"

"Not unless you want me to, she's been going all week, so she drove herself today."

"Oh." He replied.

Oh is right.

"Do you know what she is talking about?" Beck asked.

"No, she's kept it under wraps. Said she doesn't want to jinx it." I replied, and everyone seemed to accept that. Everyone but Jade.

I looked at my phone, and made up an excuse to bail.

"Dang, I'm sorry guys. My last community service thing is today and then I'm taking it down to the court house."

"See you man." Andre waved as I exited the room. I absent mindedly drove right to the beach and sat down on the soft sand before I actually realized I was at the beach.

I was wondering how I got here when someone sat next to me.

"You have an obsession with stalking me." I joked upon seeing Jade sitting in the sand, looking slightly out of place.

"Hey, I just care." She shrugged, then smiling slightly.

"You been here in a while?" I gestured to the pristine, deserted beach.

"No, I was thinking about it during the summer." Jade answered with a yawn.

We both were quiet for a moment.

"Everything ok between you and Cat?" Jade asked.

_Crap. I just can't lie to her. She'll find out and probably kill me._

"No."

"That's what I thought, otherwise you would know what movies she's auditioning for. What's up?" She asked, sounding curious.

And then I said the words I hoped to never say. "We…broke up."

She blinked, then quickly glanced at my face, expression quickly changing to shock.

"No…you're joking right? This is some kind of bad joke Robbie."

"No, we broke up."

Upon hearing that, tears started to fall in single file. Then both eyes, then she buried her head in her arms and let out a wail.

"Wha—Why?" She asked, in disbelief.

"After we got out of the hospital, she asked if I was ok, didn't believe I was ok, we ended up yelling about not trusting one another then…"

_I wish WE weren't together!"_

My stomach dropped and I felt ready to throw up.

"What?" Jade cried out hysterically. "What is it?"

"She said that she wished we weren't together sometimes." I said hollowly, bowing my head.

I vaguely heard Jade sobbing in the background. I did feel her grab i=onto me and sob into my shoulder.

I held her and hoped she would eventually stop. This is her worst nightmare.

"Are you guys still friends?" She asked throatily.

"Yeah."

"Will it be awkward between you guys?"

"As long as she doesn't make it awkward." I replied bluntly.

She sniffled and said "They won. DAMN IT!" Then hopped to her feet and threw a rock into the waves.

"What do you mean?" I asked, bewildered.

"Michael and Colton won! They wanted you two to break up, and they succeeded!" She yelled, punctuating it by throwing another stone.

"You're right…" I say, realizing this for the first time. "They won." I leaned onto the sand and sighed.

We didn't speak much the remaining 45 minutes we were there. I just watched her throw anything throwable in the waves.

As expected, the drive back was quiet.

Both of my parents cars were in the driveway as I pulled in.

"How's it going Mr. Moneybags?" My dad smiled at me when I walked in.

I set my face and prepped for the misery. "Actually, we need to talk."

(A/N: Chapter 1 of part 3 is coming soon! Hopefully tomorrow! Depends how tonight's college algebra goes! Thanks again for all the reads and reviews! I seriously cannot say that enough. Love all you guys! -James)


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